Researchers compared control and fumarate-supplemented rations in 20 male Hu lambs.
Twenty lambs were assigned to two diets
BMC Microbiology published a feeding study on 19 October 2026 involving 20 male Hu lambs. The animals were randomly assigned to a starch-rich control diet or a diet supplemented with fumarate. Researchers recorded body weight, feed use, apparent nutrient digestibility, rumen fermentation and microbial profiles. The paper presents results from this group of lambs, rather than a commercial flock trial.
Growth and fibre digestibility differed
Lambs receiving fumarate had higher final body weight and average daily gain, better feed efficiency, and higher apparent digestibility of organic matter and fibre fractions. Their rumen pH, butyrate and dissolved hydrogen were also higher. Propionate concentration was unchanged, while dissolved methane tended to rise. The results therefore do not show a methane-reduction effect in this starch-rich feeding trial.