Effect of the feeding method of a complete pelleted feed (Unipellet) as supplement of grazing in dairy ewes

This trial was carried out to compare, in grazing ewes, two feeding techniques of the Unipellet, which is a complete pelleted feed with a high un-milled fibre content and a high energy concentration, obtained using fatty acid calcium soaps. 100 Sardinian dairy ewes were divided in 2 groups (A and B) and fed, during l0 weeks, at grazing during the day + either 500 g/d of Unipellet (group A), given twice/d at milking time, or Unipellet ad libitum during the night (group B). The group A ate completely the Unipellet supplied (454 g/d of DM), whereas the group B ate as average 1241 g/d of Unipellet (1121 g/d of DM). The milk yield did not differ significantly between the two groups (g/d 1507 vs 1414). The milk fat content was higher in the group B (5.89% vs 6.31%, P ≤ 0.01) whereas the milk protein content and the somatic cells count did not vary at allo The body weight increased more in the group B (+3.79 kg vs +5.73 kg, P ≤ 0.01).