The use of hemp by-products in livestock and poultry diets presents significant potential for reducing feed costs and achieving greater resource-use efficiency through integration of hemp and livestock farming. Spent hemp biomass (SHB), the byproduct of the extraction process of cannabidiol (CBD), is the predominant source of hemp-derived, potential feed source in Oregon. However, the use of SHB in animal diets has not been approved by FDA since the accumulation of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in animal tissues and its effect on animal health, production and product quality are still unknown. Thus, an indoor pen-feeding study was conducted to investigate the effects of varying levels of SHB and a clearing period on feed intake, performance, and animal health. A total of 35 weaned, Polypay male lambs kept in single pens were randomly assigned to five feeding treatments (n=7) and fed diets containing either no SHB (CON) or SHB at 10% (LH1) or 20% (HH1) for 4 weeks with 4 weeks of clearing period from SHB, or SHB at 10 (LH2) or 20% (HH2) for 8 weeks. Dry matter (DM) intake of lambs was negatively affected by 20% SHB during the first period. In the second period, DM intake was larger in lambs fed 10% SHB vs. CON, with the largest feed intake observed in HH1 lambs. In contrast, none of the performance data, including liveweight gains, were different across the groups and periods. Feeding 20% SHB decreased plasma cholesterol, NEFA, BHBA, Ca, and Cl and increased urea and Mg, while 10% SHB increased glucose, cholesterol, and NEFA. Our findings indicated that 10% SHB can be included in ruminant diets without causing any detrimental effect on performance with a possible positive effect on feed intake. The long-term feeding of 20% SHB strongly affects metabolism.

Effects of inclusion level and clearing period of spent hemp biomass on lamb growth, feed intake and animal health

ACS Fall 2021

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