Enhancing growth and milk production of dairy buffaloes through home-grown forages and complete nutrient diet

Abstract

This study aimed to boost the growth and milk production of dairy buffaloes while increasing farmers' income in Nueva Ecija, Philippines. The approach involved utilizing home-grown forages (HGF), such as napier grass and various legumes (Leucaena, Rensonii, and Indigofera), along with a complete nutrient diet (CND). For growing buffaloes, the CND consisted of 23 kg chopped napier grasses, 3 kg legumes, and 1 kg grower concentrates. For lactating buffaloes, the CND comprised 45 kg napier grass, 5 kg legumes, and 2 kg dairy concentrates. Sixty farmers, collectively raising 348 buffaloes, were trained in HGF production and CND preparation. In a 120-day feeding trial for growing buffaloes, a subset of 20 farmers participated, with 10 feeding their buffaloes CND and the other 10 serving as controls. The control group employed traditional feeding practices, involving tethered grazing on native pasture supplemented by cut-and-carry feeding of mixed native grasses. Implementing CND for growing buffaloes resulted in an average daily gain (ADG) of 0.46 kg or an improvement of 53.33% compared to the 0.30 kg ADG observed with traditional feeding. Moreover, CND implementation reduced feed costs, leading to a 98.54% increase in income per growing animal. In a separate feeding trial for lactating buffaloes, another subset of 20 farmers participated, with 10 feeding CND and the remaining 10 serving as controls (traditional feeding). Feeding CND to lactating buffaloes increased daily milk yield from 4.6 kg to 6.0 kg per animal, reflecting a 30.43% improvement compared to those fed with the control diet. This translated to a 41.31% increase in farmers’ income over a 180-day lactation period. The findings underline the effectiveness of HGF production and CND feeding in improving the performance of dairy buffaloes and increasing the financial well-being of farmers in Nueva Ecija, marking a significant advancement in sustainable dairy farming practices.