Fifteen growing male one-humped camels (average body weight 250 kg) were used to study the effect of some non-conventional feedstuffs on their performance and
carcass traits. Fresh range plants, i.e., Atrip/ex nummu/aria (AN) and/ or Acacia
sa/igna (AS) and ensiled rice straw (ERS) were used as roughages. Both ground date
stones and olive cakes were introduced as concentrate components in the formula of
traditional concentrate mixture at the rates of 20 and 10 %, respectively. Camels were
divided into five equal groups (3 camels each). The first control group were fed
traditional concentrate mixture (TCM) and berseem hay (BH). The second group was
fed adjusted concentrate mixture (ACM) and AN, the third group was fed ACM and
AS, the fourth group was fed ACM and both AN and AS, while the fifth group was fed
ACM and ERS. Average dry matter intake from rCM by control group was
significantly higher (p < 0.05) than the amount consumed from ACM by the other four
groups. Daily dry matter intake from roughages differed significantly (p < 0.05) among
the different groups. Average daily gain in camel body weight were 0.828, 0.525
0.719, 0.680 and 0.589, kg/head for the five groups, respectively. Slaughter and
empty body weights, hot and chilled carcass weights did not differ significantly among
the different camel groups. Results showed that feeding male camels on non-
conventional rations of AN, AS, AN-AS and ERS, reduced the feeding costs required
to produce one kg body weight gain compared to using the conventional ration.
Among the non-conventional rations. Acacia sa/igna was the most efficient in reducing
feeding cost. It was concluded that the use of ACM and edible parts of the halophytic plants
in feeding growing camels is economically efficient for meat production under arid and
semi-arid conditions.