Effect of supplementing mature grass hay with dried Leucaena leaves on organic matter digestibility and voluntary intake by sheep

Abstract

Four treatments to a grass hay diet consisted of two levels of feeding (maintenance and high) and two levels of dried Leucaena leaves as supplement (0 and 150 g daily). Four mature sheep were used in a 4 × 4 Latin square design to measure organic matter (OM) and neutral detergent fibre (NDF) digestibilities, and voluntary intake. There were no significant differences in either OM or NDF digestibility owing to feeding level or Leucaena supplementation. Increasing the amount of hay offered from the low to the high level significantly improved ( P < 0.01) crude protein (CP), OM, NDF and digestible organic matter (DOM) intakes, probably owing to increased opportunity for diet selection. Leucaena supplementation failed to improve grass OM and NDF intakes at the high feeding level, although there was improvement ( P > 0.05) in grass CP intake. Significant improvements ( P < 0.05) in total OM and CP intakes were observed, and these were due to the intake of the Leucaena supplement.