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Effect of molasses supplementation of a roughage based diet on growth performances of cattle |
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K. S. Huque, A. I. Talukder |
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| Abstract |
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Two feeding trials were conducted to determine the effect of molasses feeding on the growth performances of bulls. In the first experiment, the straw of a control diet of straw and urea was replaced by molasses of 150 g (M150) or 300g kg-1(M300). The three diets were fed ad libitum to three groups of bulls having five in each and the dietary responses were statistically analyzed in a simple design. The bulls were given fishmeal (30g hd-1 d-1), wheat bran(0.5% of Libeweight, LW) and allowed grazing for 5 hrs d-1. Molasses supplementation significantly(p<0.001) increased the dry matter intake(DMI) of the bulls of M150(35.8g) and of M300(42.9g) than the control(30.4g kg-0.75). The daily LW gain of the bulls of the M150(982g) was significantly(p<0.05) higher than the bulls of the control or of the M300 diet. In the second experiment, a control group of four bulls was fed a straw diet. Treatment two groups, having four bulls in each, were fed a mixed diet of Leucaena leucocephala and Setaria splendida(1:1, DM basis) with (LSM) and without(LS) molasses at 100g kg-1. The dietary responses were statistically analyzed in a simple design. The bulls of the LSM diet had significantly(p<0.05) higher DMI, DM digestibility and LW gain(128g kg-0.75, 663g kg-1 and 419g d-1, respectively) than the bulls of the LS diet(98.3g kg-0.75, 583g kg-1 and 292g d-1, respectively). But the differences between the LSM and the control were nonsignificant. It may be concluded that molasses may be utilized as supplement to straw at 150g kg-1 or forages at 100g kg-1 diet for the profitable beef production from young growing bulls. |
| Keywords:
Molasses; Supplementation; Growth; Cattle |
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