Effects of alfalfa hay with high trace element content on growth performance of Dorper sheep

The effects of diets added 5% to 15% of 4 different kinds of alfalfa hay (high contents of Se, SeCo, SeCoZn, SeCoZnFe) on intake, daily gain and feed conversion rate of Dorper sheep were studied. The results showed that all diets could enhance daily gain and feed conversion efficiency without harmful side effects compared with common alfalfa hay. In which, the alfalfa hay with higher SeCoZn content showed the best effect on daily gain and feed conversion efficiency when it was supplemented by 10% in the diet and the daily gain and feed conversion efficiency were increased by 59.4% and 59.8% respectively. The alfalfa hay with high content of SeCoZnFe also showed better effect on daily gain and feed conversion efficiency when it was supplemented by 10% in diet and the daily gain and feed conversion efficiency were increased by 58.0% and 44.7% respectively.