Impact of feeding level and multi-nutrient blocks with polyherbals on weight changes and greenhouse gas emissions in lambs

In small-scale livestock production systems, low-quality diets constrain animal performance and increase enteric emissions, but both these impacts can be remediated using optimized feeding strategies. An experiment was conducted with lambs fed at two levels-maintenance (MN) and growth (GR)-using mul...

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Main Authors: Sánchez-López, Nallely, Mendoza-Martinez, Germán David, de la Torre-Hernández, María Eugenia, Hernández-García, Pedro Abel, Díaz-Galván, Cesar, Ortega-Navarro, Gilberto Carlos, Fuentes Ponce, Mariela, Leal Gonzalez, Abel Jaime, Lopez-Ridaura, Santiago, Van Loon, Jelle
Format: Journal Article
Language:Inglés
Published: MDPI 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/177616
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author Sánchez-López, Nallely
Mendoza-Martinez, Germán David
de la Torre-Hernández, María Eugenia
Hernández-García, Pedro Abel
Díaz-Galván, Cesar
Ortega-Navarro, Gilberto Carlos
Fuentes Ponce, Mariela
Leal Gonzalez, Abel Jaime
Lopez-Ridaura, Santiago
Van Loon, Jelle
author_browse Díaz-Galván, Cesar
Fuentes Ponce, Mariela
Hernández-García, Pedro Abel
Leal Gonzalez, Abel Jaime
Lopez-Ridaura, Santiago
Mendoza-Martinez, Germán David
Ortega-Navarro, Gilberto Carlos
Sánchez-López, Nallely
Van Loon, Jelle
de la Torre-Hernández, María Eugenia
author_facet Sánchez-López, Nallely
Mendoza-Martinez, Germán David
de la Torre-Hernández, María Eugenia
Hernández-García, Pedro Abel
Díaz-Galván, Cesar
Ortega-Navarro, Gilberto Carlos
Fuentes Ponce, Mariela
Leal Gonzalez, Abel Jaime
Lopez-Ridaura, Santiago
Van Loon, Jelle
author_sort Sánchez-López, Nallely
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description In small-scale livestock production systems, low-quality diets constrain animal performance and increase enteric emissions, but both these impacts can be remediated using optimized feeding strategies. An experiment was conducted with lambs fed at two levels-maintenance (MN) and growth (GR)-using multi-nutrient blocks formulated with different concentrations of polyherbal nutraceuticals to compare the lambs' reactions in terms of their productive performance and estimated enteric methane emissions. Thirty-two lambs were fed at two feeding levels-(a) maintenance (MN) at 9% CP and 1.85 Mcal ME/kg DM and (b) growth (GR) at 13.24% CP and 2.15 Mcal ME/kg DM)-and did or did not have access to MBs with different polyherbal percentages (BioCholine (R), OptiLysine (R), and OptiMethione (R) (0:0:0, 3:0:0, 3:0.75:0.25)). No interactions between the feeding level and supplementation were detected. Lambs fed at the MN level showed lower productive indicators (p < 0.001) than those fed at the GR level, with a lower dry matter intake (DMI, 512 vs. 1009 g/d), MB consumption (61 vs. 84 g/d), and daily weight gain (26 vs. 187 g/d), resulting in lower enteric methane emissions (8.74 vs. 18.18 g CH4 /d) and a lower emission intensity (15.25 vs. 16.55 CH4 g/kg DM). Supplementation with MBs improved the average daily weight gain (ADG) (p < 0.001) at the GR level, but no differences were detected at the MN level. However, lambs in the control group lost weight (-20 g/d) and those supplemented gained weight (g/d), with increases of 49 (0:0:0), 25 (3:0:0), and 52 (3:0.75:0.25). The highest ADG for lambs in the GR group was observed with MBs containing all three polyherbals (215a, 3:0.75:0.25), an intermediate ADG was seen with MBs without herbals or with Biocholine (200.75ab, 0:0:0; 198ab, 3:0:0), and the lowest ADG was observed with no MBs (134c g/d). The use of MBs reduces the time to reach market weight by 265 days, resulting in a 50% reduction in the enteric methane emissions per product (animal by animal), making multi-nutrient blocks a viable option to improve production indicators and reduce enteric methane emissions.
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spelling CGSpace1776162025-12-08T10:06:44Z Impact of feeding level and multi-nutrient blocks with polyherbals on weight changes and greenhouse gas emissions in lambs Sánchez-López, Nallely Mendoza-Martinez, Germán David de la Torre-Hernández, María Eugenia Hernández-García, Pedro Abel Díaz-Galván, Cesar Ortega-Navarro, Gilberto Carlos Fuentes Ponce, Mariela Leal Gonzalez, Abel Jaime Lopez-Ridaura, Santiago Van Loon, Jelle nutrients lambs enteric methane maintenance livestock production greenhouse gas emissions In small-scale livestock production systems, low-quality diets constrain animal performance and increase enteric emissions, but both these impacts can be remediated using optimized feeding strategies. An experiment was conducted with lambs fed at two levels-maintenance (MN) and growth (GR)-using multi-nutrient blocks formulated with different concentrations of polyherbal nutraceuticals to compare the lambs' reactions in terms of their productive performance and estimated enteric methane emissions. Thirty-two lambs were fed at two feeding levels-(a) maintenance (MN) at 9% CP and 1.85 Mcal ME/kg DM and (b) growth (GR) at 13.24% CP and 2.15 Mcal ME/kg DM)-and did or did not have access to MBs with different polyherbal percentages (BioCholine (R), OptiLysine (R), and OptiMethione (R) (0:0:0, 3:0:0, 3:0.75:0.25)). No interactions between the feeding level and supplementation were detected. Lambs fed at the MN level showed lower productive indicators (p < 0.001) than those fed at the GR level, with a lower dry matter intake (DMI, 512 vs. 1009 g/d), MB consumption (61 vs. 84 g/d), and daily weight gain (26 vs. 187 g/d), resulting in lower enteric methane emissions (8.74 vs. 18.18 g CH4 /d) and a lower emission intensity (15.25 vs. 16.55 CH4 g/kg DM). Supplementation with MBs improved the average daily weight gain (ADG) (p < 0.001) at the GR level, but no differences were detected at the MN level. However, lambs in the control group lost weight (-20 g/d) and those supplemented gained weight (g/d), with increases of 49 (0:0:0), 25 (3:0:0), and 52 (3:0.75:0.25). The highest ADG for lambs in the GR group was observed with MBs containing all three polyherbals (215a, 3:0.75:0.25), an intermediate ADG was seen with MBs without herbals or with Biocholine (200.75ab, 0:0:0; 198ab, 3:0:0), and the lowest ADG was observed with no MBs (134c g/d). The use of MBs reduces the time to reach market weight by 265 days, resulting in a 50% reduction in the enteric methane emissions per product (animal by animal), making multi-nutrient blocks a viable option to improve production indicators and reduce enteric methane emissions. 2025-08 2025-11-05T21:50:02Z 2025-11-05T21:50:02Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/177616 en Open Access application/pdf MDPI Sánchez-López, N., Mendoza-Martínez, G. D., De La Torre-Hernández, M. E., Hernández-García, P. A., Díaz-Galván, C., Ortega-Navarro, G. C., Fuentes Ponce, M. H., Leal-González, A. J., López Ridaura, S., & Van Loon, J. (2025). Impact of feeding level and multi-nutrient blocks with polyherbals on weight changes and greenhouse gas emissions in lambs. Animals, 15(17), 2541. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15172541
spellingShingle nutrients
lambs
enteric methane
maintenance
livestock production
greenhouse gas emissions
Sánchez-López, Nallely
Mendoza-Martinez, Germán David
de la Torre-Hernández, María Eugenia
Hernández-García, Pedro Abel
Díaz-Galván, Cesar
Ortega-Navarro, Gilberto Carlos
Fuentes Ponce, Mariela
Leal Gonzalez, Abel Jaime
Lopez-Ridaura, Santiago
Van Loon, Jelle
Impact of feeding level and multi-nutrient blocks with polyherbals on weight changes and greenhouse gas emissions in lambs
title Impact of feeding level and multi-nutrient blocks with polyherbals on weight changes and greenhouse gas emissions in lambs
title_full Impact of feeding level and multi-nutrient blocks with polyherbals on weight changes and greenhouse gas emissions in lambs
title_fullStr Impact of feeding level and multi-nutrient blocks with polyherbals on weight changes and greenhouse gas emissions in lambs
title_full_unstemmed Impact of feeding level and multi-nutrient blocks with polyherbals on weight changes and greenhouse gas emissions in lambs
title_short Impact of feeding level and multi-nutrient blocks with polyherbals on weight changes and greenhouse gas emissions in lambs
title_sort impact of feeding level and multi nutrient blocks with polyherbals on weight changes and greenhouse gas emissions in lambs
topic nutrients
lambs
enteric methane
maintenance
livestock production
greenhouse gas emissions
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/177616
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