Impact on the state of health of lambs fed large amounts of concentrated fodder

: Experiments were carried out with a total of 18 male lambs at the age of 5 months, included in three groups. The test period lasted 150 days during which the animals of the first group were fed daily 1200-1500 g each of pelleted concentrates, those of the second group--1200, 1300, and 3000 g of wheat straw, and the lambs of the third one--800 and 1050 g of pelleted concentrates as well as 540-720 g of pelleted whole maize plants. It was found that continuous feeding with high amounts of concentrates produced unfavourable effects on the general status of the experimental animals. Hematologically, there was increase in the hemoglobin level, the erythrocyte count, and the leukocyte count. Biochemically, the calcium-and-phosphorus metabolism was disturbed, there was a drop of the Ca level and a rise of the phosphorus level of the blood. Morphologically, dystrophic and necrotic changes were observed in the liver, kidneys, heart, and forestomach. It was concluded that higher amounts of concentrates in the diet may cause a disease status with severe, generalized symptoms due to their defective, unablanced, and physiologically inappropriate feeding.