Volume: 57 Issue: 1
Year: 2026, Page: 200-207, Doi: https://doi.org/10.51966/jvas.2026.57.1.200-207
Received: Feb. 6, 2026 Accepted: Feb. 16, 2026 Published: March 31, 2026
A feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the effect of incorporating non-conventional legume fodders, dhaincha (Sesbania aculeata) and sunnhemp (Crotalaria juncea), in total mixed ration (TMR) on growth performance, body condition score (BCS) and linear body measurements of Mecheri lambs. Twenty four weaned Mecheri lambs (3 - 4 months of age) were randomly allotted to four dietary treatments with six lambs each: T1 (20% dried hedge lucerne, control), T2 (20% dried dhaincha), T3 (20% dried sunnhemp) and T4 (10% dried dhaincha + 10% dried sunnhemp). The experimental diets were iso-nitrogenous and iso-caloric and fed ad libitum for 120 days under intensive system of management. Growth parameters, feed intake, feed efficiency, BCS and body measurements were recorded at regular intervals. Final body weight (25.75 - 26.23 kg), total weight gain (11.10 - 11.82 kg), average daily gain (92.50 - 98.47 g) and feed efficiency did not differ significantly among treatments. Total feed intake was significantly higher (p<0.05) in the control group compared to dhaincha and sunnhemp based diets. Body condition score and linear body measurements showed progressive improvement with age, with no adverse effects due to legume inclusion. The study concludes that dhaincha and sunnhemp can effectively replace hedge lucerne up to 20 per cent in TMR without compromising growth performance, body condition or skeletal development of Mecheri lambs.
Keywords: Dhaincha, sunnhemp, total mixed ration, growth performance
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© 2026 Santhiya et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Santhiya, D., Bharathy, N., Singh, D.A.P. & Vasanthakumar, P. (2026). Growth performance, Body Condition Score and body measurements of Mecheri lambs fed with dhaincha and sunnhemp incorporated Total Mixed Ration. Journal of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, 57(1), 200-207 https://doi.org/10.51966/jvas.2026.57.1.200-207