Estimation of average daily gain in fat-tailed sheep at smallholder farms based on energy and protein intake

Abstract

This study aimed to estimate average daily gain (ADG) of fat-tailed sheep based on their energy and protein intake. Data were collected from 68 fat-tailed sheep raised at three smallholder farms in West Java, including feed intake and ADG records. The evaluation was conducted by comparing the intake of dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), and total digestible nutrient (TDN) against the nutrient requirements estimated by the model, as well as by comparing observed and estimated ADG values. The results showed that DM, CP, and TDN intakes were below the estimated standard requirements. The comparison between observed and estimated ADG indicated a high root mean square percentage error (RMSPE > 80%) and a low concordance correlation coefficient (CCC), suggesting a relatively low level of agreement. These findings imply that the model's estimates do not yet adequately reflect the actual growth performance of fat-tailed sheep under field conditions, possibly due to limitations in observational data.