PERFORMANCE OF EARLY LACTATING CROSSBRED COWS AT DIFFERENT RATIO OF CONCENTRATE AND ROUGHAGE

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Date
2016-07-05
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COLLEGE OF VETERINARY AND ANIMAL SCIENCE-MANNUTHY,THRISSUR
Abstract
A study was conducted to assess the different proportions of roughage and concentrate in crossbred dairy cattle. Twenty healthy early lactating crossbred cows (within 10 days) were selected from University Livestock Farm and Fodder Research Development Scheme, Mannuthy and they were divided into four groups of five animals each, as uniformly as possible with regard to age, parity, milk yield and body weight and were allotted randomly to four dietary treatments T1, T2, T3 and T4. The experimental animals were fed with concentrate mixtures containing 18.75 per cent protein. The animal belonging to all the four treatment group were fed such that 50 per cent of total DM requirement was provided by hybrid napier. In animals belonging to T1 group fed remaining 50 per cent was provided by concentrate mixture (CP and TDN). In animals of T2 group, remaining 30 per cent was provided by concentrate mixture, 10 per cent by calliandra and 10 per cent by desmanthus. In animals of T3 group, remaining 30 per cent was provided by concentrate mixture, 10 per cent by desmanthus and 10 per cent by stylosanthes. In animals of T4 group, remaining 30 per cent was provided by concentrate mixture, 10 per cent by calliandra and 10 per cent by stylosanthes. All the experimental animals were fed as per ICAR feeding standard (2013). There was no significant effect (P>0.05) on the body weight intake, dry matter, dry matter per 100 kg body weight, milk yield of four fed experimental rations during all fortnights. Milk composition such as milk protein, total solids, solids not fat revealed no significant (P>0.05) difference between the four fed treatments during all the fortnights. Statistical analysis revealed significant difference in milk fat collected during first and third fortnights and there was no difference in milk fat collected any other fortnights between the treatments. Statistical analysis revealed significant difference in milk urea nitrogen collected during second fortnight (P<0.05), fifth and sixth fortnights (P<0.01) and there was no difference in milk 137 urea nitrogen collected any other fortnights between the treatments and mean milk urea nitrogen significant difference (P<0.05) between the treatments. Digestibility coefficients of nutrients revealed that no significant difference (P>0.05) in any of these parameters. From the overall results, it would be concluded that a portion of concentrate mixture (upto 20 per cent on DM basis) can be replaced with various combinations of legume trees/shrub fodders such as calliandra, desmanthus and stylosanthes cultivated under silvopasture system without affecting production performance and nutrient utilization in crossbred dairy cows. Further if the farmers are cultivating these fodder by themselves, cost of production can be still reduced.
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