Effects of Different Levels of Yucca Supplementation on Growth Rates, Metabolic Profiles, Fecal Odor Emissions, and Carcass Traits of Growing Lambs

Sixty male were used to investigate the effects of dietary extract (YS) on the production, fecal and urinary odor emissions, and carcass traits of growing lambs fed complete pellets. Lambs were fed either a complete pelleted diet without yucca (control) or supplemented with 300 or 600 mg YS/kg dry matter (DM) during the 84-day experiment. The weights and feed consumption of the lambs were measured weekly. Blood samples were taken on days 1, 28, 58, and 84, and ruminal fluid samples were collected on day 70. On day 90, the odor emissions from feces and urine were measured. On day 84, 12 lambs were slaughtered for the evaluation of carcass and meat quality. The final values for bodyweight, bodyweight gain, and feed efficiency of lambs fed the YS diet were 3.40%, 6.64%, and 6.17%, respectively, higher ( < 0.05) than those fed the YS diet. Additionally, the percentage of dressing, myofibril fragmentation index, and ruminal isovalerate percentage of lambs treated with YS were higher than those treated with YS. Compared with the control, the addition of yucca reduced odor emissions from feces and urine. In conclusion, dietary YS had no additional benefits on growth rate, feed efficiency, and carcass traits, while dietary YS improved fecal and urinary odors.