[Food nourishment utilization efficiency of different month aged sheep]

Studies on the food nourishment utilization efficiency of different month aged sheep showed that under same food nourishment condition, the ingested nourishment, weight increase, and nourishment depletion per unit weight increase of sheep were increased with the ingestion of dry matter, and the protein content of 34 months old sheep was significantly higher than that of 22 months old sheep (P < 0.01), and the latter was significantly higher than that of 10 months old sheep (P < 0.01). There was a significant difference of utilization efficiency of the ingested nourishment between 34 months old and 22 months old sheep (P < 0.05) and between 10 months old and 22 months old sheep (P < 0.01). The weight increase was not significantly different (P > 0.05) between 34 months old and 22 months old sheep and between 10 months old and 22 months old sheep, but it was significantly different between 34 months old and 10 months old sheep (P < 0.05). The feed conversion rate among them was not different. All the results showed that 10-22 months old sheep had high production efficiency, and could produce high quality mutton, and hence, this section of age was the suitable age of sheep to be butchered.