Animal performance, rumen microbiota, and fermentation in growing camel calves fed alfalfa hay, Atriplex, or their mixture.

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Insights into the effect ofon the performance of growing camels can supportas an alternative feed resource for sustainable agriculture. This study evaluated the effect of replacing alfalfa hay withhay on rumen microbiota and fermentation, and the growth performance of camel calves. Twenty-four one-year camels were allocated into three groups (&#x2009;=&#x2009;8) to feed on one of three forage types for 120&#xa0;days: concentrate feed mixture (CFM) at 0.9% of body weight (BW) and ad libitum Alfalfa hay (HH); CFM and ad libitum mixture ofhay and Alfalfa (1:1) (MM); and CFM and ad libitum(AA). RESULTS: Bacterial community was dominated by phyla Bacteroidota and Firmicutes. Atriplex inclusion increased the relative abundance of genera, and. while Atriplex declined generaandrumen methanogens that were dominated by genus. Total volatile fatty acids (VFAs) was similar between camel groups; and camels fedhad low rumen ammonia and acetic acid, and higher propionic and butyric acids (&#x2009;<&#x2009;0.05). Feed intake was similar, and growth rates were 655.00, 540, and 466 g/head/d for groups HH, MM, and AA, respectively, with a significant difference (&#x2009;<&#x2009;0.05). CONCLUSIONS: altered the rumen microbiota and fermentation with a slight negative effect on animal growth. Therefore,can replace alfalfa hay partially in the feeding of camel calves in the presence of CFM.