Acta Veterinaria et Zootechnica Sinica ›› 2025, Vol. 56 ›› Issue (10): 5050-5059.doi: 10.11843/j.issn.0366-6964.2025.10.025

• Animal Nutrition and Feeds • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Effect of Replacement of Soybean Meal by Oil Cake of Flax Seed in Diet Under a High-precision Feeding Mode on Nutrient Apparent Digestibility, Rumen and Fecal Microflora Composition of Fattening Lamb

WEI Ze1(), YIN Xuejiao2, LIU Zimeng1, WANG Zexuan1, ZHAO Wen1, PAN Jinlong3, LIU Yueqin1, ZHANG Yingjie1, DUAN Chunhui1,*()   

  1. 1. College of Animal Science and Technology, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding 071000, China
    2. Hebei Normal University of Science & Technology, Qinhuangdao 066000, China
    3. Chengde Animal Husbandry Workstation, Chengde 067000, China
  • Received:2024-11-01 Online:2025-10-23 Published:2025-11-01
  • Contact: DUAN Chunhui E-mail:18631212739@163.com;duanchh211@126.com

Abstract:

This experiment aimed to study the effects of replacing soybean meal by oil cake of flax seed under a high-precision feeding mode on nutrient apparent digestibility, rumen and fecal microbiota composition of fattening lambs. Sixty crossbred fattening lambs aged 2~3 months and weighing approximately 18 kg were randomly divided into three groups based on their body weight: Control group (CK group), Experimental Group Ⅰ, and Experimental Group Ⅱ. The proportions of oil cake of flax seed replacing soybean meal in the three groups were 0%, 50%, and 100%, respectively. The experimental period was 97 days, including a 7-day pretrial period and a 90-day formal trial period. The lambs were divided into early, middle, and late fattening stages based on their body weight. A digestion experiment was conducted from day 85~89 of the formal trial period, and the rumen fluid and feces were collected before the morning feed on the 90th day for microbial analysis. The results showed that: 1) There were no significant differences in the apparent digestibility of dry matter, neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber, and crude protein among the groups (P>0.05). The ether extract digestibility increased with the increase of oil cake of flax seed replacing proportion (P=0.079). 2) At the phylum level, Bacteroidota and Firmicutes were the dominant microbial phyla in the rumen of all groups, the relative abundance of the top 10 phyla among the groups was not significantly different (P>0.05). At the genus level, Prevotella was the dominant bacterial genus in all groups, and there were no significant differences in the relative abundance of the top 10 bacterial genera among the groups (P>0.05). The relative abundance of Ruminococcus in Experimental Group Ⅱ was significantly higher than that in the CK group (P < 0.05). 3) At the phylum level of fecal microbiota, Bacteroidota and Firmicutes were the dominant bacterial phyla in all groups, accounting for 88.18%-91.88% of the total bacterial relative abundance. The relative abundance of Euryarchaeota in the CK group is significantly higher than that in the Experimental Group Ⅱ (P < 0.05), while the relative abundance of Actinobacteria in the Experimental Group Ⅱ is significantly higher than that in the CK group and Experimental Group Ⅰ (P < 0.05). There were no significant differences in the others relative abundance of the top 10 bacterial phyla among the groups (P>0.05). At the genus level, Muribaculaceae and Rikenellaceae_RC9_gut_group were the dominant bacterial genera in all groups, and there were no significant differences in the relative abundance of the top 10 bacterial genera among the groups (P>0.05). In summary, replacing soybean meal with oil cake of flax seed can improve the digestibility of ether extract and the relative abundance of Ruminococcus. Under the conditions of this experiment, oil cake of flax seed can completely replace soybean meal without negative effects on lambs.

Key words: oil cake of flax seed, lambs, nutrient digestibility, microbiota

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