Effect of supplemental level on production performance of Gansu alpine fine wool sheep

To study the effects of supplemental level on the production performance of Gansu alpine fine-wool sheep in alpine pastoral areas, we selected 48 twelve-month-old reserve Gansu alpine fine-wool ewes and randomly divided them into group Ⅰ (fed pellet feed), group Ⅱ (corn and alfalfa hay), group Ⅲ (corn, alfalfa hay, and oat hay), and control group (no supplementary feeding) for winter and spring “grazing” + “feeding” tests. We compared physical indexes such as body weight, wool production, length, fineness, whiteness, strength, and elongation of sheep wool fiber. The results showed that the average daily gain in groups Ⅰ, Ⅱ, and Ⅲ was higher (148.29%, 133.09%, and 96.76%, respectively) than that in the control group. The wool production was not significantly different between the groups (P>0.05). The natural length and stretched length were significantly lower in the control group than in groups Ⅰ, Ⅱ, and Ⅲ (P<0.01). The natural length of group Ⅰ was significantly higher than that of groups Ⅱ and Ⅲ (P<0.01); the stretched length of group Ⅲ was significantly lower than that of groups Ⅰ and Ⅱ (P<0.01); and the stretched length of group Ⅱ was significantly higher than group Ⅰ (P<0.05). The maximum fineness (diameter): the fineness of group Ⅰ was significantly higher than that of the control group (P<0.01) and group Ⅱ (P<0.05). The highest level of whiteness was observed in group Ⅰ, and it was significantly higher than that of the control group (P<0.05); no significant differences were detected between the other groups (P>0.05). The strength and elongation were extremely significantly higher in the supplementary feeding group than in the control group (P<0.01); the strength of group Ⅰ was significantly higher than that of group Ⅱ (P<0.01), and the elongation of group Ⅰ was significantly higher than that of group Ⅱ (P<0.05). The feed had a significant impact on the body weight and quality of the wool. Forage nutrition deficiency is observed in winter and spring in alpine pasture areas. To meet the nutritional needs of reserve ewes and make them breed at 1.5 years of age, the feed of group Ⅰ is the best choice on the basis of grazing in the cold season.