The Effect of Urea Treated Straws and Urea-Molasses Feed Blocks (UMB) on Reproductive
Performance of Libyan Barbary Sheep
Mabruk, H.S.1, H .A. Salim1, A. E. Benshaban2, A.E. Ahtash1, H.E.Daeky3 and Z.N.
Elmeshabic3
1Animal production Department- Faculty of Agric./Univ. of Tripoli - Libya. 2Ministry of
Agriculture/Tripoli – Libya, 3Research station of Faculty of Agric. / Univ. of Tripoli- Libya.
Corresponding email:
[email protected]
ABSTRACT: This experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of urea treated straws and
urea-molasses feed blocks (UMB) on reproductive performance of Libyan Barbary sheep. Total
of 78 head of weaned females Barbary sheep were assigned randomly to four groups. Control
group received untreated straws, group 1 received straws treated with urea, group 2 received
untreated straws in addition to urea- molasses feed blocks (UMB),and group 3 received straws
treated with urea plus UMB. The straws were treated with urea (4%). Blood samples were collected
for the analysis of progesterone hormone to detect the ovarian activity. The average concentration
of progesterone for the three months of age (the seventh, eighth and ninth) was significantly
different (P≤0.05 ) between the control (1.47 ng/ml) and the first group (1.76 ng/ml ), and between
the second (1.24 ng/ml) and each of the control and first groups and also between the first and
the third group (1.56 ng/ml), were it was not significant between the control and the third
group. The results showed the percentage of animals reached puberty during the period of taking
blood samples, where the female lambs in the first group recorded highest percentage of
puberty during the seventh and eighth month of age (33.3%) and (28.57%) respectively, followed
by the third group (31.57%) and (26.33%). The study showed highest conception rate, lambing
% and twining % in the first group 33.3%, 38%, 4.7% followed by the third group 21, 21%, 0%
respectively. The results also showed no significant differences (P≤0.05) in the birth weight of new
born lambs between groups. The averages weights were 3.76, 3.63, 3.11 and 3.82 kg in the control,
first, second and third groups, respectively. It is clear that urea has no negative effect on the
reproductive performance, and can be used safely to increase the nutritional value of the straws.
Keywords: Sheep, straw, Urea, Progesterone.
Hassan Mabrouk, Abdulkarim Ahtash, Hussein Salim, Hassan Deaky(1-2020)
