Fig. 1

Construction of the varied rumen development phenotypes with extremely different dietary regimes. a Experimental study design; Hu lambs were randomly assigned to four groups following diets: milk (M, n = 10), milk plus alfalfa hay (MH, n = 10), milk plus corn-soybean starter (MC, n = 10), and milk plus alfalfa hay and corn-soybean starter (MHC, n = 10). b Body weight and daily nutrient intake of lambs; the statistical analysis was performed using the mixed linear model. c–e Pictures and measured parameters of rumen organ (c), rumen papillae (d), and rumen wall thickness (e). Data represent the mean ± SEM, n = 8 per group. Means with different letters were significantly different (P < 0.05) via one-way ANOVA, followed by post hoc Tukey tests