Life Science Journal 2013;10(4) http://www.lifesciencesite.com 1987 Nutritional Impact for the Whole Replacement of Concentrate Feed Mixture by Dried Sugar Beet Pulp on Growth Performance and Carcass Characteristics of Ossimi Sheep Hamed A.A Omer 1 , Soha S. Abdel-Magid 1 , Alaa Y. El-Badawi 1 , Ibrahim M. Awadalla 1 , Mamdouh I. Mohamed 1 and Mona S. Zaki 2 1 Animal Production Department, National Research Center, Dokki, Giza, Egypt 2 Hydrobiology Department, National Research Center, Dokki, Giza, Egypt dr_mona_zaki@yhaoo.co.uk, hamedomer2000@yahoo.com Abstract: Fourteen Ossimi lambs (Egyptian sheep breed) with an average weight 30.20 + 1.54 kg aged 5-6 months were divided into two equal groups, seven animals each to evaluate the growth performance and carcass characteristics on two types of rations. The 1 st ration (control) was based on concentrate feed mixture (CFM) composed mainly of grains, while the 2 nd one was based on 90% dried sugar beet pulp (SBP) plus 10% soybean meal as a fibrous concentrate. Both rations were offered at 3% of body weight with ad lib amounts of clover hay in a feeding experiment lasted 56 days. The results showed that both experimental feed mixtures were iso-caloric-iso- nitrogenous, while higher significant (P<0.01) differences were recorded for CF, NDF and hemicellulose contents of SBP mixture than common CFM. Daily feed intake expressed as % of body weight, TDNI or DCPI were significantly decreased (P<0.05) with SBP mixture. Inclusion of SBP in the feed mixture at 90% significantly (P<0.05) improved CF digestibility but decreased (P<0.05) EE digestibility in comparison to control mixture, while other nutrients digestion coefficients showed comparable values for the two experimental rations. N. balance expressed relative to N-Intake or digestible-N was significantly (P<0.05) improved with lower (P<0.05) urinary N loss for sheep fed SBP feed mixture. Inclusion SBP in sheep ration significantly (P<0.05) decreased ammonia nitrogen concentration, while, it significantly (P<0.05) increased total volatile fatty acids concentration, however it had no significant effect on pH value compared to control ration (CFM).Incorporation SBP in sheep ration had no significant effect on all parameters of blood plasma except for triglyceride, cholesterol, urea and uric acid. Also, noticed that inclusion SBP in sheep diet significantly (P<0.05) decreased blood plasma of triglyceride, cholesterol, urea and uric acid compared to control ration (CFM). Other blood plasma parameters were in the same range for the two tested rations. Dietary treatment had no significant effect (P>0.05) on final body weight, total body weight gain, and average daily gain. Inclusion of SBP in sheep ration significantly improved (P>0.05) feed conversion ratio (kg intake of DM, TDN and DCP/ kg gain). Carcass characteristic physical and chemical body composition were not significantly influenced by replacing CFM with SBP in sheep ration. However, dressing percentage calculated relative to fasted body weight was significantly (P<0.05) lower for sheep fed SBP, while dressing % calculated relative to empty weight showed comparable values (54.11 for CFM and 54.87% for SBP). Replacing CFM with SBP supplemented with 10% SBM in sheep ration led to decrease total daily feeding cost by45.03% in comparison with the control diet. Meanwhile, daily profit above feeding cost was improved by 18.4%. Feed cost LE/ kg gain was improved by 38.07% compared to control ration. The present study indicated that feeding lambs on concentrate mixture contained 90% SBP + 10% soybean meal instead of common CFM (based on grains) was safe and economically feasable, while the lower daily feed intake of rations containing high level of SBP is a nutritional problem particularly with long-term feeding practices. [Hamed A.A Omer, Soha S. Abdel-Magid, Alaa Y. El-Badawi, Ibrahim M. Awadalla, Mamdouh I. Mohamed and Mona S. Zaki. Nutritional Impact for the Whole Replacement of Concentrate Feed Mixture by Dried Sugar Beet Pulp on Growth Performance and Carcass Characteristics of Ossimi Sheep. Life Sci J 2013; 10(4): 1987- 1999]. (ISSN: 1097-8135). http://www.lifesciencesite.com . 263 Keywords: Sugar beet pulp, sheep, growth performance, digestion coefficients, blood constituents, carcass characteristics, economic evaluation. 1. Introduction One of the crucial aims in livestock feeding is to promote the use of local feeds and by products in order to decrease feeding costs (Lanzaet al., 2001). The goal of feeding concentrate feed mixture to growing lambs is to achieve maximum growth rates, better feed to-gain conversion and best carcass characteristics, leading to optimum profit opportunities (Bodaset al., 2007). Agricultural by-products have a high nutritive potential, and when properly utilized can contribute to better and cheaper feeding of livestock (Israilideset al., 1979). In Egypt the annual amount of sugar beet pulp that produced as a by-product of sugar beet industry as about 161 491 ton