Use of Leafmeal Mixture as a Protein Supplement in the Rations of Goats fed Wheat Straw Anbarasu C.1, Dutta Narayan*, Sharma K. Centre for Advanced Studies in Animal Nutrition, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar-243 122, India. *Reprint request: Dr. Narayan Dutta, Tel.: +91-581-442313; Fax: +91-581-447284; E-mail: pn@ivri.up.nic.in
1Present address: Veterinary Dispensary, Karuvakkarichi Mannargudi, Theruvarur-614 018, India. Abstract An experiment was carried out to examine the replacement value of Leucaena leucocephala-Morus alba-Tectona grandis (2:1:1) leaf meal mixture as a nitrogen source in conventional supplements for female goats (12). The goats were offered wheat straw ad libitum and supplemented with either leaf meal mixture based concentrate (LMTM), ground-nut cake based concentrate (GNC) or soybean meal incorporated concentrate (SBM) in a completely randomized design for a period of 15 weeks. The goats given LMTM or GNC had comparable intake g/kg W0.75 of dry-matter, which was significantly higher than their counterparts fed SBM. The digestibility of various nutrients, except for depressed digestibility (P < 0.05) of CP and hemicellulose in SBM group, was comparable among goats on different supplements. Nitrogen intake and its faecal excretion were similar irrespective of diets. However, the urinary excretion of nitrogen in goats given GNC was significantly (P < 0.05) higher relative to comparable excretion in goats on LMTM and SBM diets. The balance of nitrogen (g/day) was positive in all the goats though it was significantly (P < 0.05) higher in animals on LMTM or SBM as compared to GNC. The DCP and TDN values of the composite diets offered were comparable among dietary treatments. The plane of nutrition on all the diets was close to stipulated NRC requirements. It may be concluded that leaf meal mixture could be used as a supplement like oil cakes when wheat straw as basal feed is limiting the nutrient intake of goats; and that Leucaena-Morus-Tectona leaf meal mixture could contribute up to 20 per cent of the total DM intake. Top Key words Goats, Supplementation, Wheat straw, Leafmeal mixture. Top |