The relationship of physical balance to energy value and tissue formation in sheep

Abstract

Several years of physical balance studies with sheep rations have been completed. During the course of these years, more than 2500 lambs have been used in the experiments. A wide variety of feeds have been employed in these tests also. The feeds composing the experimental rations have varied widely in nutritive value and palatability. In spite of this fact, the results of these experiments have been in agreement with remarkable consistency. While many levels of physical balance have been studied, recent trials have been limited to proportions of concentrates to roughage ranging from extremes of 35 percent to 65 percent up to 55 percent to 45 percent.