Performance and Carcass Characteristics of Australian Prime Lambs Grazing Lucerne and Cocksfoot Pastures Are Enhanced by Supplementation with Plant Oil Infused Pellets

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of pasture (cocksfoot cv. porto (CFP) and lucerne) and supplementation of grazing lambs with pellets with or without plant oil infusion on performance and carcass characteristics. Forty-eight White Suffolk x Corriedale first-cross weaners were randomly assigned to one of four treatments in a split-plot experimental design: (1) CFP or lucerne pastures only (control); CFP or lucerne pastures supplemented with pellets infused with oil from (2) canola (CO); (3) rice bran (RBO) and (4) no oil pellets (NOP). Lucerne and CFP pastures were considered as the main plot effect, and played the role of basal pastures. Lambs grazing lucerne or CFP pastures with pellet supplementation achieved carcass weights of >22 kg at 9 weeks, which met the specific requirements of Asian and United States of America export markets. Pellet supplementation did not affect final liveweight, average daily gain, body length, withers height and chest girth of grazing lambs. Dressing percentage of lambs grazing CFP pasture with pellet supplementation and lambs grazing lucerne pasture with RBO supplementation increased compared with lambs on pasture grazing only. Although supplementing lambs on CFP pasture with CO had relatively negligible impact on feed conversion efficiency, it significantly increased over the hook trade value compared with lambs grazing CFP pasture only. In conclusion, lucerne or CFP pasture plus pellet supplementation produced lamb carcasses >22 kg suitable for the export market. CO had relatively low feed cost per unit daily gain (0.9 $AU/kg on CFP pasture and 0.6 $AU/kg on lucerne pasture) and could also be used as a tactical supplementation tool for increasing the carcass weight of lambs grazing CFP pasture