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Browsing Thesis by Author "A. D. Mercy"
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ThesisItem Open Access DIETARY INCORPORATION OF SLOW RELEASE UREA FOR GROWTH IN CALVES(COLLEGE OF VETERINARY AND ANIMAL SCIENCES-MANNUTHY,THRISSUR, 2012) NISSY GEORGE; A. D. MercyAn experiment was conducted to study the effect of dietary incorporation of slow release urea for growth in calves. Eighteen healthy female cross bred calves, above six months of age were selected and were allotted to three groups as uniformly as possible with regard to age and weight, and were randomly allotted to treatments T1, T2 and T3. The experimental calves were fed concentrate mixtures with 20 per cent crude protein and 70 percent total digestible nutrient and green grass was given ad libitum. The experimental concentrate mixtures consisted of control T1, with out urea, T2 with one per cent urea and T3 with slow release urea equivalent to one per cent urea. All the concentrate mixtures were made iso-caloric and iso-nitrogenous. Rations were computed for individual animals as per ICAR standards (1998) and animals were maintained on their respective feeding regimes during the experimental period of 87 days. Fortnightly body weight, dry matter intake, feed efficiency, average fortnightly daily gain, digestibility coefficient of nutrients, nitrogen retention, blood urea nitrogen, daily urinary purine derivative excretion, daily urinary creatinine excretion, daily microbial protein production, purine derivatives: creatinine index and economics of production were the criteria employed for evaluation. There was no significant difference (P>0.05) in the fortnightly body weight, average daily gain, total/daily dry matter intake, feed conversion efficiency and nitrogen retention in calves of the three treatment groups. Dry matter and crude protein digestibility of the experimental rations were also statistically similar (P>0.05). But digestibility coefficient of neutral-detergent fibre was higher (P<0.01) for T2 than that of T3 ration while the acid-detergent fibre digestibility was higher (P<0.01) for T1 than that of T3 ration. Blood urea nitrogen were higher (P<0.05) for calves fed T2 ration than that of T1 during the third month of the experiment. Daily urinary excretion of allantoin was higher (P<0.05) for animals fed on T2 ration than those fed T3 but uric acid excretion was higher (P<0.05) for those fed T1 ration than that of T3. Daily purine derivative excretion and microbial protein production was higher (P<0.05) for animals maintained on T2 than those maintained on T3 ration. But there was no significant difference between the treatments for purine derivatives:creatinine index. Cost of production when calculated in terms of feed cost per kg body weight gain was lower for T3 (Rs. 92.43) than that of T1 (96.87) and T2 (98.27). On perusal of the overall results obtained, it could be seen that incorporation of urea and slow release urea replacing soybean meal did not affect the growth and feed efficiency of calves. However, the cost of feed/kg body weight gain was the lowest for calves fed SRU while that of calves fed the urea ration was the highest. Thus it could be concluded that the incorporation of SRU at one per cent level replacing soybean meal is economical.ThesisItem Open Access ENERGY SUPPLEMENTATION ON PRODUCTION PERFORMANCE OF COWS UNDER FIELD CONDITION(COLLEGE OF VETERINARY AND ANIMAL SCIENCES-MANNUTHY,THRISSUR, 2008) RUBY AUGUSTINE; A. D. MercyA study was conducted to assess the effect of energy supplementation in the fonn of maize and rumen protected fat in early lactating cows under the field condition. Thirty, early lactating cross bred cows were selected and divided into three groups uniformly with regard to days in milk, the average days in milk being 40 days. The animals were randomly allotted to the dietary treatments Ti, T2 and T3. The concentrate mix made in the semi liquid form and paddy straw formed the T1 ration. The animals of T2 and T3 were supplemented with 1 kg ground maize and ICQ g of rumen protected fat respectively, over and above the control ration. The animals maintained on the three dietary treatments Ti, T2 and T3 showed an average milk production of 15.38, 14.58 and 13.01 kg respectively during the 90 day period of the experiment. Statistical analysis showed no significant difference (P>0.05) in milk yield between the three treatment groups. The average daily DMI and DMl/100 kg body weight remained similar for all the three groups. The TDN intake was up to the requirement in animals maintained on T3 ration while Ti and T2 rations could not meet the requirements of the animals of the respective groups. The DCP intake was optimum from the three rations. The energy supplementation did not affect milk composition such as percentage of total solids, milk fat, solids not fat (SNF) and milk protein, and milk urea nitrogen (MUN). The 4 per cent FCM yield, total yield of milk fat and protein remained unaffected by energy supplementation. Animals in all the three groups showed similar blood parameters such as haemoglobin, plasma glucose, plasma urea nitrogen and plasma Ca and P. The digestibility of EE, DM, NDF and ADF was higher for the T3 ration than that of Ti and T2. The digestibility of crude protein (CP) was higher for T2 than T1 and T3 rations. Animals maintained on T3 ration showed earlier post partum heat. The cost of feed for producing 1 kg milk was higher for the dietary treatments T2 and T3. An overall assessment of the results obtained in the present study showed that energy supplementation in the form of either maize or rumen protected fat could not influence dry matter intake, milk yield and 4 per cent PCM yield. There was no change in the corhposition of milk and blood parameters studied, among the experimental animals. However, energy supplementation in the form of protected fat could meet the energy requirement of early lactating animals, improved the digestibility of EE, DM, NDF and ADF and positively influenced the first post partum heat.ThesisItem Open Access PHYTASE SUPPLEMENTATION ON THE AVAILABILITY OF DIFFERENT MINERALS AND THEIR INTERACTIONS IN PIGS(COLLEGE OF VETERINARY AND ANIMAL SCIENCES-MANNUTHY,THRISSUR, 2009) K. Shyama; A. D. MercyTwo feeding experiments were conducted using 100 weaned piglets to study the effect of dietary supplementation of calcium, phosphorus and phytase in different levels and their interactions on growth, nutrient digestibility, mineral availability and blood and bone mineral profile. In experiment one, sixty four weaned Large White Yorkshire x Desi piglets (32 castrated male and 32 female) belonging to the Centre for Pig Production and Research, Mannuthy were used as experimental animals. All animals were dewormed before the start of the experiment. The piglets were divided into eight groups as uniformly as possible with regard to age, sex and weight. Piglets of each group were allotted randomly into four pens with two piglets in each pen. Piglets in each replicate were maintained under identical management conditions throughout the experimental period of 88 days. Restricted feeding was followed throughout the experimental period and daily feed intake was recorded. Clean drinking water was provided ad libitum in all the pens throughout the experimental period. The animals were fed with standard grower ration with 18 per cent CP and 3200 kcal of ME/kg of feed up to 50 kg body weight and finisher ration with 16 per cent CP and 3200 kcal of ME /kg of feed from 50 kg body weight. Eight dietary treatments with two levels of calcium (0.6 and 1 per cent) and two levels of phosphorus (0.3 and 0.6 per cent) were used with phytase (750 units /kg) and without phytase in a 2x2x2 factorial completely randomized design. The pigs were weighed at the beginning of the experiment and later on at fortnightly intervals. Blood samples were collected at the beginning and on 85' day of the experiment and a digestibility trial was conducted at the end of the experiment to determine the digestibility of nutrients and percentage availability of minerals of the experimental diets by total collection method. The results of the first experiment indicated that the levels of Ca, P and phytase had no effect on average daily gain, feed efficiency and DM intake among pigs reared under the eight dietary treatments, while there was significant interaction between Ca x P (P<0.05) and Ca x phytase (PO.01) on DM intake. The level of Ca and P and Ca x P x phytase interactions were significant for DM digestibility which resulted in lower DM digestibility for rations T3. T5 and T7 than that of other rations. Dietary levels of P and interaction between Ca x P (P<0.01) and Ca x phytase (P<0.05) were significant for EE digestibility. Hence rations T7 and T8 had lower (P<0.01) EE digestibility than the rest of the experimental rations. Crude fibre digestibility was affected by phytase and P x phytase interaction. Calcium availability was higher (P<0.01) in all phytase supplemented rations. Significant interactions between dietary Ca x phytase (P<0.01) and dietary P x phytase (P<0.05) were observed for Ca availability. Interactions between dietary levels of Ca x P (P<0.05) and Ca x phytase (P< 0.05) were found significant for availability of Cu and Mn respectively. Data on blood samples collected on 85th day revealed that phytase supplementation had significant effect (P< 0.01) on the plasma Ca levels of the animals fed the eight dietary treatments. The interaction between dietary Ca x P levels was also found significant (P< 0.01) for plasma Ca. Dietary levels of both Ca (P< 0.01) and P and interaction between Ca x P (P< 0.01), Ca x phytase and P x phytase (PO.01) were found to affect plasma P significantly. In case of plasma Zn dietary Ca was having significant (P< 0.01) effect and the interactions between dietary Ca x P (P<0.01), Ca x phytase (P<0.05) and P x phytase (PO.01) were also found significant. Dietary Ca, P and phytase levels had significant (P<0.05) effect on the plasma ALP activity. Cost of feed per kg body weight gain of pigs was lowest for ration Tl. Ration Tl with low Ca, low P and without phytase gave similar growth and feed efficiency with lowest cost of production compared to the other rations and thus Tl was taken as the control ration for the second experiment. The second feeding experiment was conducted for 114 days using 36 weaned Large White Yorkshire x Desi weaned piglets (18 castrated males and 18 females) belonging to the Centre for Pig Production and Research, Mannuthy and the animals were randomly allotted to the three dietary treatments, Tl- Control ration containing 0.6 per cent calcium and 0.3 per cent phosphorus, T2 -Control ration without any mineral supplements and with 750 units of phytase/kg feed and T3 - Control ration without phytase and mineral supplementation. A digestibility experiment was conducted to determine the digestibilih of nutrients and availability of minerals. Blood samples were collected before the start of the experiment and on 16th week. Radiological examination of femur and mandibles of the representative animals of three groups at the end of the study were done. All the male animals were slaughtered on attaining slaughter weight of 70 kg and the data on dressing percentage, loin eye area, back fat thickness, weight of internal organs were collected. Photograph of rib bone was taken during slaughter and bone ash percentage, bone calcium and bone phosphorus were estimated. Kidney samples were examined histologically to assess pathological changes, if any, due to the experimental rations. Body weight of pigs belonging to T2 (phytase supplemented ration) was significantly higher (PO.05) than that of T3 in fortnights 4, 6, 7, 8 and 9, while the difference between that of Tl and T2 were non significant in all the fortnights. There was no difference in feed efficiency and digestibility of nutrients among pigs reared under the three dietary treatments. The availability of Ca, P and Mn for T2 ration was higher than that of the control ration while the Mg availability was lower for T2 and T3 than that of Tl. Zinc availability was lower for T3 than that of Tl ration. Dressing percentage was lower (PO.01) for T2 and T3 than that of control and loin eye area was lower (P<0.05) for T3 than that of Tl and T2. There was no gross abnormality of femur and mandible on x-ray examination of pigs reared on three experimental rations. Histopathological examinations of kidney samples also were normal for pigs of Tl and T2 and T3. However ricketty beads were seen on ends of ribs on carcass evaluation, in pigs reared under T3. The bone ash content was also lower (PO.01) for animals fed ration T3 than that of Tl and T2. Thus feeding ration without any mineral supplementation showed deleterious effects on growth, mineral availability and bone ash content, but supplementation of phytase improved utilization of nutrients and minerals than that of T3 during the period of 114 days of the experiment. Feed cost /kg gain of Tl pigs was higher than that of T2 (P< 0.01) and T3 (P< 0.05). But the difference in the cost of production between T2 and T3 were non significant (P>0.05). It can be concluded that phytase supplementation of rations resulted in decreased feed cost / kg gain.