Plastic slatted flooring for intensive rearing of muzaffarnagari lambs in semi-arid region

The present study investigated the effect of raised plastic slatted floor over soil floor on growth, average daily gain and physiological responses of lambs under stall feeding system under semiarid conditions. Twelve Muzaffarnagari lambs were equally divided into two groups and reared on plastic and soil floor from 6 to12 months of age. They were fed ad libitum green and dry fodder and concentrate feed to meet the nutrient requirements. Average daily gain (ADG) of lambs on plastic and soil floors were 143.04±7.77 and 153.67±6.95 g during 6–12 months of age. Physiological responses of lambs were statistically non-significant on both the floors except that the respiration rate was significantly (P< 0.05) higher on plastic than on soil floor. Similarly, plasma biochemical and enzymatic characters of lambs were similar on both the floors, except aspartate transaminase (AST) and total protein which were significantly (P<0.01/0.05) higher in lambs raised on plastic slatted floor. It was inferred that plastic floor has no additional benefit in terms of growth in lambs in semi-arid regions.