Potential use of natural saline pasture for grazing lambs: Effect on digestibility, growth performances, carcass and meat quality

This study aimed to investigate the effects of a natural saline pasture on digestibility, intake, growth, carcass traits and meat quality of lambs. Forty weaned female Queue Fine de l′Ouest lambs (25.4 ± 4.33 kg) were allotted into two groups. The first group raised indoor (I) with oat straw ad libitum and the second grazed natural saline pasture (SP). Both groups were supplemented the same concentrate with 300 and 500 g for SP and I respectively, to have the same average daily gain (ADG). On the 49th day, digestibility and intake were determined on 8 lambs randomly selected from each group, using total fecal collection and Acid Insoluble Ash (AIA) marker method. After 83 days, the 16 lambs were slaughtered at 34 kg. Dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP) digestibility and metabolizable energy (ME) were higher (P