EFFECT OF FEEDING OF HYDROPONIC MAIZE (Zea mays) SPROUTS ON INTAKE AND NUTRIENT DIGESTIBILITY IN SHEEP
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Date
2021-02
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KARNATAKA VETERINARY, ANIMAL AND FISHERIES SCIENCES UNIVERSITY, BIDAR - 585 401
Abstract
Grains and their sprouts were compared adopting chemical and in vitro method of
evaluation. A feeding trial was conducted to study the effect of feeding hydroponic maize
sprouts on dry matter intake, nutrient digestibility and body weight changes in sheep. The
hydroponic maize grain sprouts were prepared in a low-cost poly-house under controlled
environment. Grains were first washed, soaked for one day using tap water, and then
wrapped with a gunny bag for 48 hours for germination. Thereafter, they were spread out
in trays and were irrigated 8 times daily using tap water. The trays containing hydroponic
maize grain sprouts were removed after 10 days including the days of soaking and
germination, the harvested carpets were exposed to air ventilation, then weighed and
shredded to small pieces before feeding to the animals. Using 18 healthy sheep of around
1year age, one month feeding trial was conducted by randomly allotting them into three
groups of six each. In the control (T1) group, sheep were fed with diet comprising roughage
(conventional green fodder, 50% and FMS, 10%) and compounded feed mixture (CFM) at
60:40 ratio on DM basis. The conventional green fodder comprised of Maize and Sorghum
fodder in 50:50 proportion. In treatment group two (T2) proportion of conventional green
fodder and CFM were reduced by 50 per cent and replaced with hydroponic maize grain
sprouts HMGS (45%). In the treatment group three (T3) conventional green fodder was
completely replaced with HMGS (80 %) and CFM was reduced to 25 per cent of control.
The CP, EE and NFE contents were higher in HMGS as compared to conventional green
fodder. DMI was significantly (p<0.01) lower in T2 and T3 groups as compared to T1. The
intake of TDN (g/day) was 496.1, 340.2 and 252.2 for groups T1, T2 and T3, respectively.
The intake of TDN was significantly lower in group T3 fed HMGS (replaced CGF
completely). The DCP intake (g/d) in groups T1, T2 and T3 was 57.85, 34.12 and 25.22,
respectively. There was also significant (p<0.01) difference in DCPI among the treatment
groups. The per cent of CFM in diet of experimental groups in T1, T2 and T3 was 46.29,
26.21 and 18.66, respectively. No significant difference in body weight change between
T1 and T2 groups. However, significant (p<0.05) difference in final body weight among
the treatment groups was noticed. It was concluded that the feeding of hydroponic maize
grain sprouts to substitute 50-100% of either CFM or conventional green fodder is not
beneficial to sheep.