Abstract
IN the experiment reported, the effect of feeding different levels of protein, on the performance of young growing calves on pasture, was investigated. Thirty-six calves, mainly Friesian x Bunaji Zebu crosses, of age 3 - 4 months were divided into 3 groups for the concentrate treatments used. The 3 treatments were high protein: low grain feed (HPF), medium protein: medium grain feed (MPF) and low protein: high grain feed (LPF). The dietary protein: grain levels were obtained by mixing groundnut cake (GNC) and sorghum grain, by weight, in the ratios of 75:25; 50:50; and 25:75; respectively. Calves received 1kg DM of concentrate mixture plus free access to Rhodes grass (Chloris gayana) grazing. The average daily live-weight gains of calves were 0.84, 0.75 and 0.87kg for treatments 1,2 and 3 respectively. These did not differ significantly when tested statistically. The results indicate that the lowest of the three protein levels was adequate for the calves for optimum performance in this experiment.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
