The supplementary value of different parts of enset (Ensete ventricosum) to sheep fed wheat straw and Desmodium intortum hay

A study which included growth and digestibility experiments was conducted to evaluate the feeding value of a) enset pseudostem, b) enset corm or c) enset mixture (containing equal amounts of pseudostem, corm and enset leaf on a DM basis) as a supplement to a basal diet of wheat straw fed ad libitum and restricted amounts of Desmodium intortum (Desmodium) hay to sheep. During the 71-day growth experiment, 18 one-year-old male sheep of indigenous breed with mean body weight (BW) of 20.2 (± 0.43) kg were randomly assigned to the three treatments. In the digestibility experiment, three male sheep with mean BW of 19.5 (± 1.06) kg were assigned to each treatment. Sheep supplemented with enset mixture consumed more (P < 0.001) wheat straw DM (335 g/day) than those supplemented with pseudostem (295 g/day). No differences were found in total dry matter (DM) and organic matter (OM) intake between diets supplemented with pseudostem, corm and enset mixture. Total nitrogen (N) intake (g/day) was higher (P = 0.0073) in sheep fed the diet with enset mixture (12.2) followed by corm (11.3) and pseudostem (10.7). The apparent digestibility of DM was higher (P < 0.001) in pseudostem (0.53) followed by corm (0.46) and enset mixture (0.41) supplemented sheep. Organic matter, neutral detergent fiber and N digestibility were similar among treatments. The amount of N lost in urine and faeces and the N-retention was similar among treatments. There were no differences in gain/day in sheep fed diets with pseudostem (29.3 g), corm (27.0 g) and enset mixture (36.5 g). It is concluded that supplementation of a wheat straw/Desmodium diet with enset fractions could be used equally at least to maintain body weight during the dry season.     

Effects of treating rice straw with urea or urea and calcium hydroxide upon intake, digestibility, rumen fermentation and milk yield of dairy cows

Three, multiparous Holstein crossbred dairy cows with initial body weight of 385 ± 19 kg were randomly allocated to 3 treatments of rice straw (T1 = untreated rice straw; T2 = 5.5% urea-treated rice straw (5 g urea in 100 ml water to 100 g air-dry (91% DM) straw); T3 = 2.2% urea + 2.2% calcium hydroxide treated rice straw (2.0 g urea and 2.0 g Ca(OH)₂ in 100 ml to 100 g air-dry (91% DM) straw) according to a 3 × 3 Latin square design. Each period lasted for 21 days in which feed, feces and rumen fluid were collected during the last 7 days for chemical analyses. The findings revealed significant improvements in dry matter intake and digestibility by using 5.5% urea-treated rice straw and 2.2% urea + 2.2% calcium hydroxide treated rice straw. Ruminal pH and NH₃-N were found higher (P < 0.05) as compared with urea-treated rice straw fed group, while blood urea nitrogen and milk urea nitrogen were in normal ranges. Volatile fatty acid concentrations especially those of acetic acid were decreased (P < 0.05) and those of propionic acid were increased (P < 0.05), thus acetic acid:propionic acid was subsequently lowered (P < 0.05) in cows fed with 5.5% urea-treated rice straw and 2.2% urea + 2.2% calcium hydroxide treated rice straw, respectively. Moreover, ruminal viable and cellulolytic bacterial counts were enhanced by urea and calcium hydroxide treatments. Milk protein and fat concentrations were additionally increased by respective treatments while 3.5% fat-corrected milk was highest; ranking from 2.2% urea + 2.2% calcium hydroxide treated rice straw, 5.5% urea-treated rice straw and urea-treated rice straw fed groups. Based on this study, implications could be made that using 2.2% urea + 2.2% calcium hydroxide treated rice straw for straw treatment could be an alternative treatment to 5.5% urea treatment with regards to its effectiveness and treatment cost for lactating dairy cows.     

Effects of supplementation of Farta sheep fed hay with sole or mixtures of noug seed meal and wheat bran on feed intake,digestibility and body weight change

Digestibility and feeding trials for 10 and 90 days were conducted using 25 yearling Farta rams with a mean body weight (BW) of 16.8 ± 0.17 kg (mean ± SD) to study the effects of supplementation with sole or mixtures of noug seed meal (NSM) and wheat bran (WB) on feed intake, digestibility and BW change in Farta sheep fed hay. The experimental design was a randomized complete block design. The sheep were arranged in five blocks based on initial BW, and the five treatments were assigned randomly to each animal in a block. The five treatments comprised of ad libitum hay (control, T1) and ad libitum hay plus daily supplementation of 300 g dry matter (DM) sole WB (T2), 2WB:1NSM (T3), 1WB:2NSM (T4) and sole NSM (T5). Supplementation increased total DM (P < 0.01) and crude protein (CP) (P < 0.001) intake and promoted daily BW gain (P < 0.001). Non- supplemented sheep consumed more (P < 0.01) hay DM compared to the supplemented treatments, except T2. Among supplemented sheep, T5 had higher (P < 0.001) CP intake than the other treatments. Supplementation improved (P < 0.001) the digestibility of CP. Lack of statistical differences in daily BW gain between the different supplements used in this study suggests that sheep producers can use the different feed supplements considered in this study depending on their availability in the order of T4, T5, T3 and T2, respectively.     

Feeding value of enset (Ensete ventricosum), Desmodium intortum hay and untreated or urea and calcium oxide treated wheat straw for sheep

Feed intake, in vivo nutrient digestibility and nitrogen utilization were evaluated in male sheep fed different fractions (leaf, pseudostem, corm, whole plant) of enset, untreated or 2% urea‐ and 3% calcium oxide‐ (CaO or lime) treated wheat straw and Desmodium intortum hay as sole diets. All feeds, except D. intortum hay and enset leaf had low crude protein (CP) content. Non‐fiber carbohydrate contents were higher in enset fractions, especially in pseudostem and corm relative to other feeds. Enset leaf and pseudostem had high calcium, phosphorus and manganese contents. Corm, whole enset and D. intortum hay were rich sources of zinc. Daily dry matter and CP intakes were higher (p < 0.05) in sheep fed D. intortum hay (830 and 133 g, respectively) than those fed pseudostem (92 and 7.8 g, respectively). Organic matter digestibilities were highest for corm (0.780) and whole enset (0.776) and lowest for D. intortum hay (0.534) and untreated wheat straw (0.522). The CP digestibility ranged from 0.636 in D. intortum hay to 0.408 in corm. Nitrogen (N) balance was highest (p < 0.05) in D. intortum hay (10.4 g/day) and lowest in corm (?1.3 g/day). Enset leaf could be a useful protein supplement whereas the pseudostem and corm could be good sources of energy.     

Feed intake,digestibility, nitrogen utilization,and body weight change of sheep consuming wheat straw supplemented with local agricultural and agro-industrial by-products

Effects of supplementing sheep consuming wheat straw with local agro-industrial by-products on feed intake, growth, digestibility and nitrogen utilization were determined. Thirty 1-year-old local wethers, with a mean (±SD) live weight of 19.8 (±1.06) kg, were assigned to five treatments: wheat straw + atella (T1), wheat straw + atella + poultry litter (T2), wheat straw + atella + coffee pulp (T3), wheat straw + atella + coffee pulp + poultry litter (T4), hay + concentrate (T5). A 7-day digestibility experiment and a 112-day growth trial were conducted. Total dry matter (DM) and organic matter (OM) intake as well as body weight gain was similar for all treatments. The highest (P < 0.05) nitrogen (N) intake was in sheep fed T1 and T4 diets, while the lowest was in those fed T2 and T5 diets. Sheep fed T1 and T2 diets had greater (P < 0.05) DM and OM digestibility than those fed T4 and T5 diets. The highest (P < 0.05) digestibility of N was for the T2, T4, and T5 diets, while the lowest was for the T1 diet. The highest N retention was in T4 diet, whereas the lowest was in T3 diet. In conclusion, in urban and peri-urban areas where atella, poultry litter, or coffee pulp are available, smallholder farmers could feed the mixtures as a supplement to straw with a good performance without using concentrate feeds.     

Effects of supplementing galacto-oligosaccharides, Yucca schidigera or nisin on rumen methanogenesis, nitrogen and energy metabolism in sheep

The effects of galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS), Yucca schidigera (YS) or nisin (NS), as additives to a basal diet of grass silage and concentrate, on rumen methanogenesis, nitrogen and energy metabolism were conducted using four rumen cannulated wethers in a 4×4 Latin square design. Four treatments comprised basal diet (control), basal diet+20 g GOS, basal diet+120 ppm YS, basal diet+3 mg/kg BW^0.75 of NS. Apparent digestibility of DM, OM, CP, NDF and ADF were similar in all treatment diets. Animals fed YS had lower N losses in urine and total N losses resulting in a higher retained N. Ruminal pH values ranged from 6.33 to 6.47 and was significantly (P<0.05) altered by treatment. Sheep given YS had the lowest NH₃-N concentration, moderate in control and GOS, and the highest in NS. The GOS supplemented sheep had lower (P<0.01) proportion of acetic acid and higher (P<0.01) proportion of propionic acid compared to those fed the control diet. Microbial nitrogen supply was higher (P<0.05) in GOS supplemented sheep than those given control, YS and NS diets. Relative to control, YS and NS treatments, GOS reduced (P<0.05) methane production (l/kg BW^0.75). These results indicated that natural products have the potential to be used as manipulators of rumen fermentation.     

Use of additives to capture nitrogen in ammoniated wheat straw: Intake, ruminal parameters, digestibility and nitrogen utilization in buffaloes

This study examined the influence of urea treated wheat straw (UTWS) ensiled with additives on feed intake, digestibility, ruminal characteristics and N utilization in Nili-Ravi buffalo bulls (Babulus bubalis) fed ad libitum. Wheat straw was treated on large scale with 4% urea at a 50% moisture level. The UTWS was ensiled with 6% CSL, 6% acidified molasses, 2% acetic acid and 2% formic acid on DM basis in four different cemented trench silos for 15 days. Four diets each having 50% dry matter (DM) from UTWS ensiled with acetic acid (AD), formic acid (FD), acidified molasses (MD) or corn steep liquor (CD) and 50% DM from concentrate mixture were fed to ruminally cannulated bulls in a 4 × 4 Latin square design. Ruminal total VFA, acetate, cellulolytic ruminal bacterial count, DM and NDF degradability were significantly higher with MD and CD diets compared with AD and FD diets. Intake of different feed fractions was higher in bulls fed MD and CD diets. Total tract apparent digestibility of nutrients was similar across all treatments. Nitrogen retention was higher in bulls fed MD and CD diets than those fed AD and FD diets. Ensiling UTWS with fermentable carbohydrates sources having low pH compared to organic acids increased the N fixation in the matrix of cell wall fiber thus slowing its release at ruminal level that probably enhanced the N synchronization with carbon skeleton (fiber fermentation) and this consequently improved the N utilization.     

Effect of supplementing urea-treated barley straw with lucerne or vetch hays on feed intake,digestibility and growth of Arsi Bale Sheep

The study was conducted at Sinana Agricultural Research Center, Ethiopia to assess the supplementation of graded levels of vetch (Vicia dasycarpa `lana’) and lucerne (Medicago sativa,’ Hunter river’) hay on feed intake, digestibility and body weight (BW) change of Arsi-Bale sheep fed urea treated barley straw (UTBS). A 7 day- digestibility and a 90 day- feed intake trials were conducted using 28 and 35 sheep, respectively. The experimental design was a randomized complete block design with seven dietary treatments that consisted of feeding UTBS (T1) as the control treatment, UTBS plus 150, 250 and 350 g dry matter (DM) per day of vetch for T2, T3, T4, respectively and UTBS plus 150, 250 and 350 g DM per day of lucerne for T5, T6 and T7, respectively. Intake of UTBS was not affected (P > 0.05) by inclusion of lucerne hay at 25–35% of daily DM intake. The supplements increased daily intake of total DM, organic matter (OM), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF) and metabolizable energy (ME) (P < 0.001) as well as apparent digestibility of DM, OM (P < 0.001), NDF (P < 0.01), ADF, crude protein (CP) (P < 0.05) and daily BW gain (P < 0.001). Supplementation with lucerne than vetch hay promoted higher (P < 0.001) CP and ME intakes and daily BW gain. Feeding with the UTBS without supplementation was enough to meet the maintenance requirements of the sheep and allow small BW gain. The results of the study showed that urea treatment of barley straw in conjunction with supplementation of lucerne or vetch hay could serve as a useful strategy in improving smallholder sheep production in the tropics.     

Feed intake,digestibility, body weight and carcass parameters of Afar rams fed tef (Eragrostis tef) straw supplemented with graded levels of concentrate mix

The experiment was conducted at Alamata Agricultural Research Center, Ethiopia using 20 Afar rams with an initial body weight (BW) of 18.2 ± 1.76 (mean ± SD) kg. The objectives were to study the effect of supplementation with concentrate mix consisting of wheat bran (WB), noug seed cake (NSC) and sesame seed cake (SSC) at the ratio of 2:1:1 on dry matter (DM) basis, respectively on feed intake, digestibility, BW gain and carcass parameters of Afar rams fed tef (Eragrostis tef) straw basal diet. The experiment was arranged with four treatments and five replications in a randomized complete block design. The treatments included feeding sole tef straw (T1, control), and daily supplementation with the concentrate mix offered at 150 (T2, low), 250 (T3, medium) and 350 (T4, high) g DM per head. Total DM intake, crude protein (CP) digestibility, daily BW gain (P < 0.001), DM and organic matter (OM) digestibility, and carcass parameters (P < 0.05) were higher in the supplemented than in the control treatment. Intake of tef straw reduced as the level of supplementation increased, whereas the contrary was true for CP intake. Performance in carcass parameters was better for the medium compared to the low level of concentrate mix supplementation. Moreover, the medium level of supplementation did not substitute tef straw intake. Therefore, it is concluded that the medium level of concentrate mix supplement maintained the utilization of the roughage feed and resulted in better carcass parameters.     

Effect of substitution of concentrate mix with Sesbania sesban on feed intake, digestibility, body weight change, and carcass parameters of Arsi-Bale sheep fed a basal diet of native grass hay

An experiment was conducted to assess the effect of substitution of concentrate mix with Sesbania sesban on feed intake, digestibility, average daily gain (ADG), and carcass parameters of Arsi-Bale sheep. The experiment employed 25 male sheep with mean (±standard error) initial body live weight (BLW) of 19.1?±?0.09 kg. The experiment consisted of 7 days of digestibility and 90 days of feeding trials followed by carcass evaluation. The experiment employed a randomized complete block design with five treatments and five blocks. Treatments comprised of grass hay alone fed ad libitum (GHA; control), GHA?+?100 % concentrate mix (CM) consisting of wheat bran and noug seed cake at a ratio of 2:1 (0 S. sesban), GHA?+?67 % CM?+?33 % S. sesban (33 S. sesban), GHA?+?33 % CM?+?67 % S. sesban (67 S. sesban), and GHA?+?100 % S. sesban (100 S. sesban). Total dry matter intake (DMI) was higher (p?<?0.001) for sheep in 0 S. sesban–100 S. sesban (800–821 g/day) compared to sheep in control (611 g/day). However, the effect of S. sesban inclusion (0 S. sesban–100 S. sesban) on total DMI was quadratic, and DMI declined after 67 S. sesban. Digestibility of DM, organic matter (p?<?0.01), and crude protein were higher (p?<?0.001) in supplemented group compared to the control. ADG, feed conversion efficiency (ADG/DMI), slaughter BLW, hot carcass weight, and total edible offals were higher (p?<?0.05–0.001) for sheep in 0 S. sesban–100 S. sesban than those in control. Increased level of S. sesban inclusion, in general, reduced growth and carcass parameters in this study. However, there was no difference between 0 S. sesban and 33 S. sesban in most parameters studied. Thus, it can be concluded that S. sesban could substitute a concentrate when it accounted for up to 33 % of the mix.     

Effect of replacing concentrate feed with leaves of Oldman saltbush (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Atriplex nummularia</Emphasis>) on feed intake,weight gain,and carcass parameters of highland sheep fed on wheat straw in northern Ethiopia

Atriplex nummularia (oldman saltbush) is widely planted on salt-affected land to provide a vegetative cover, which can be used as an alternative feed resource. The study was conducted to evaluate the replacement of commercial concentrate with oldman saltbush (SB) leaf on the feed intake, live weight gain, and carcass parameters of local sheep. Twenty-five sheep with an age of 6 months and weighting 14.60?±?2.47 kg were used in randomized complete block design and distributed into five equal groups, with five animals each. The selected sheep were fed with the dietary treatments for 2 weeks for adaptation and continued until the end of the study, which lasted for 90 days. In the control treatment (SB-0), sheep were fed 100% concentrate mix, while in SB-5, SB-10, SB-15, and SB-20, 5, 10, 15, and 20% of the concentrate mix was replaced by SB, respectively. Wheat straw and water were given at ad libitum throughout the experiment period. Data on feed intake and live weight gain were recorded daily and weekly, respectively, for 90 days. Three animals from each treatment were slaughtered for carcass analysis. Atriplex nummularia leaf (Oldman saltbush) contained 92.02% dry matter (DM), 21.99% crude protein (CP), 24.77% ash, 58.27% neutral detergent fiber (NDF), and 26.56% acid detergent fiber (ADF). Dry matter intake, live weight gain, and carcass parameter were not statistically different among the treatments. Result indicated that concentrate feed can be replaced with Atriplex nummularia leaf up to 20% in sheep diet without negative effect on growth performance and carcass characteristics.     

Effects of supplementation on voluntary dry matter intake, growth and nutrient digestibility of the Fiji Fantastic sheep on a basal diet of Guinea grass (Panicum maximum)

Eighteen growing Fiji Fantastic (FF) sheep (nine ram lambs and nine ewe lambs), 5–6 months old, pre-experimental average body weight of 25.6 ± 0.82 kg were randomly divided into three groups of six and allotted to the treatments designated as A: Guinea grass (Panicum maximum); B: Guinea grass + concentrate mixture; and C: Guinea grass + crushed wheat grain in a completely randomized design experiment that lasted for 92 days. Total DM intake of sheep on forage + concentrate mixture were significantly higher (P < 0.001) than those on forage + crushed wheat grain and forage alone. Average daily gains (ADG) were 30, 75 and 42 g/day for forage, forage + concentrate mixture and forage + crushed wheat grain, respectively. ADG was significantly (P < 0.001) higher in sheep on forage + concentrate mixture. Daily protein intakes and BUN concentration were 3.59, 10.39 and 5.60 g/kg^0.75/day; and 6.0, 9.7 and 6.0 mmol/l for sheep on forage alone, forage + concentrate mixture and forage + crushed wheat grain, respectively. BUN and glucose concentrations at the post-experimental period were significantly (P < 0.001) higher in sheep on forage + concentrate mixture. DM, organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP), acid detergent lignin (ADL), hemicellulose and energy digestibility were significantly (P < 0.001) higher in sheep on the concentrate mixture while neutral detergent fibre (NDF) digestibility was significantly (P < 0.001) higher in sheep fed crushed wheat grain. Sheep on the concentrate mixture were also significantly (P < 0.002) higher in metabolizable energy intake (MEI). Sheep on concentrate mixture had higher organic matter (OM) and crude protein (CP) digestibility, high DMI and ADG. In conclusion this experiment has provided some relevant lacking information on the average DMI and ADG of the FF sheep and a concentrate mixture of 16.5% CP plus 19.0 MJ GE/kg BW seems ideal to meet the protein and energy requirements of the FF sheep for growth in the tropical environment of Fiji. Finally data obtained also demonstrated the influence of supplementary concentrate feeding on DMI and ADG of the FF sheep.