To investigate HBLFA Raumberg-Gumpenstein the advantages of high-quality hay – so-called sugar hay – in lamb rearing, a multi-year feeding trial was conducted at the . A total of 98 lambs or kids of the Jura, Tyrolean Mountain Sheep, and Saanen goat breeds participated in the trial.

Once they reached a live weight of 25 kg, the animals were divided into one of three feeding groups . In the "ZH" variant, the animals received only the best hay – so-called sugar hay (approximately 20% protein, 20% sugar, and 11.2 MJ ME). In the "ZH+" variant, the animals also received the best hay plus concentrate (50% of the estimated daily feed intake). The control variant, "Hay+", received medium-quality hay with a 50:50 concentrate composition typical for lamb and kid fattening.

The trial ended with a live weight of 45 kg for the lambs and 40 kg for the kids. The high feed intake in the lamb rearing groups ZH and ZH+ resulted in high daily weight gains of approximately 300 g. The best hay quality leads to high roughage intake , which in turn results in high daily weight gains and a short fattening period

Cooperation partner: ARGE Heumilch