Abstract
A total of eighteen post weaned female Jersey calves (weighing, 72 ± 1.33 kg, mean ± SE) selected from Adeaberga dairy farm were randomly assigned in to two sample T-test each having nine calves. Calves in the first group were offered natural pasture hay and concentrate mixture separately (T1) whereas calves in the second group received dual purpose green maize stover silage based total mixed ration (TMR). The experiment took 180 and 7 days of feeding trial and digestibility trail respectively. The daily dry matter intake of calves fed T2 (5.41 kg) was higher (p 0.05) by diets but average daily weight gain of calves in T2 (530g) was higher (P<0.05) than in T1 (450g). It can be said that the growth performance of calves fed the dual purpose green maize Stover silage based total mixed ration diet was superior than calves fed natural pasture hay and concentrate mixture following the conventional feeding practice. Investigate the comparative advantages of using maize crop for dual purposes (food & feed) than as a food for human alone considering both biological responses and economic returns that arises thereof. Keywords : Body weight gain, Digestibility, Intake, Maize Stover silage, Total mixed ration DOI: 10.7176/JBAH/10-17-02 Publication date: September 30 th 2020
Highlights
Major constraint to livestock production in Ethiopia is feeds and the art of feeding
To mitigate the problem it would be necessary to look into such alternative feed resources as dual purpose maize crop that can be integrated to the existing crop-livestock farming systems
Inclusion of maize silage which is harvested at a more maturity stage (>350 g Dry matter (DM)/kg fresh weight, dough stage) in the diet of dairy cows could be an option to increase the supply of starch and rumen by-pass starch
Summary
Major constraint to livestock production in Ethiopia is feeds and the art of feeding. Inclusion of maize silage which is harvested at a more maturity stage (>350 g DM/kg fresh weight, dough stage) in the diet of dairy cows could be an option to increase the supply of starch and rumen by-pass starch. In spite of the fact that whole crop maize silage is a major forage component in the ration of dairy cows, elsewhere outside Ethiopia, its utilization as a silage crop for dairy cattle feeding under local conditions is only limited to some government organizations (universities and research institution). As part of a solution to the problem a research project has been planned to use the green maize Stover for silage making at some later stage of grain maturity (i.e., after the grain was being harvested at dough stage with the assumption that the remaining grain moisture removed with sun drying for proper storage and use as a grain for human consumption).
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