Abstract
We investigated the effect of feeding a complete feed as a total mixed ration (TMR) with different levels of artificial saliva (AS) on the rumen pH, epithelial tissues pigmentation, fecal odor and status of some trace minerals. Forty-five growing lambs were used in an 84-day trial. Lambs were randomly assigned to five dietary treatments as follows: TMR, AS1 (TMR +15 kg AS/Ton; 22.5 g/lamb/day), AS2 (TMR + 30 kg AS/Ton; 45 g/lamb/day), AS3 (TMR + 45 kg AS/ Ton; 67.5 g/lamb/day) and AS4 (TMR +90 kg AS/Ton; 135 g/lamb/day). The growth performance was not affected by the supplementation of AS. The addition of AS improved the rumen color and maintained the rumen pH of the lambs. The fecal H2S gas significantly (P<0.05) higher in AS4 group compared to the TMR. However, serum iron (Fe) content was significantly (P<0.05) higher in TMR fed group alone. From the findings of the present study, we concluded that AS supplementation improved rumen color, however, fecal H2S production was increased which needed to be further investigated.