Noug Cake Research Articles

On farm evaluation of the growth and economic benefit of afar breed rams supplemented with different protein sources: The case of Raya-Alamata District

On-farm trial was conducted at Raya-Alamata District, Southern Zone of Tigray region, Northern Ethiopia. From the district three representative peasant associations namely Gerjelle, Limate and Harlle was selected based on sheep population and Ziziphus tree availability. The objective of this study was to evaluate the growth performance and economic benefit of Afar breed rams supplemented with different protein sources. Nine farmers were selected per each peasant association. Each farmer had assigned three growing yearly aged Afar breed rams with initial average body weight of 19.33±1.33 kg. The treatments include feeding with traditional practice/free-grazing (T1), T1+ 277.5 gDM/day/head urea treated teff straw supplementation (T2), T1+283.8 gDM/day/head air dried Ziziphus foliages supplementation (T3) and T1 + 250 g DM/day/head) concentrate mix of wheat bran and noug cake supplementation (T4). There was statistically significant difference (P<0.05) in daily live weight gain among the control and supplemented groups, except urea treated straw supplemented group. Rams in the control group and urea treated teff straw had showed 67.60 and 71.87 g of daily body weight gain per head, while the air dried Ziziphus leaf and concentrate mix supplemented group had gained 90.47 and 98.70 g/day/head, respectively. Moreover, the concentrate mix supplemented group (T4) had a higher net benefit of Ethiopian Birr 22.93/head over control group and higher profit margin of Birr 0.5/head, followed by the Ziziphus leaf supplemented group (T3) which had a net benefit of Birr 19.85/head and profit margin of Birr 0.4/head over the control group. Assume one US$ is equals to 20 Ethiopian Birr. The results of this study suggested that supplementation of sheep with 283.8 gDM of dried Ziziphus leaf or 250 g DM concentrate mixture is potentially more profitable to the small scale farmers’ sheep fattening practice than the other level of supplements. Key words: Body weight, concentrate mix, profitability, Ziziphus leaf, free grazing, urea treated teff straw.

Feed intake, digestibility, growth performance, and blood profile of pigs fed mixtures of dried and ground fig (Ficus sur) fruits and graded levels of maize.

This study was conducted to examine the effect of feeding a mixture of different proportions of Ficus sur fruits (FSF) and ground maize grain (MG) on intake, digestibility, growth, and blood profile on Yorkshire pigs. Dietary treatments comprised 100% FSF and 0% MG (100FSF), 67% FSF and 33% MG (67FSF), 33% FSF and 67% MG (33FSF), and 0% FSF and 100% MG (0FSF). Noug cake and soybean meal were included to meet nutrient requirement of the animals at isonitrogenous (18% crude protein (CP)) level with graded levels of energy. Twenty pigs with an average initial weight of 27.75 ± 1.4kg were grouped according to their body weight, and animals from each group were randomly assigned to four dietary treatments. There was no difference (P > 0.05) in dry matter, crude protein, and metabolizable energy intakes among the treatments. Organic matter (P < 0.05), ether extract (P < 0.01), and nitrogen-free extract (NFE) intakes were higher (P < 0.0001) for pigs fed with 0FSF than 100FSF. The digestibility of dry matter, crude protein, ether extract, and NFE did not differ (P > 0.05) among treatments. However, organic matter digestibility (P < 0.05) was highest for pigs in 0FSF than 100FSF. Conversely, crude fiber digestibility was in the reverse trend. No significant differences were observed in body weight gain among treatments (P > 0.05). The blood counts and sera metabolites of pigs across the treatments fall within the optimum range. Packed cell volume (PCV) and hemoglobin (Hgb) were higher, but creatinine and cholesterol concentrations were lower in 100FSF than 0FSF indicating better health conditions in pigs fed with FSF. It is, therefore, concluded that feeding FSF has comparable effects with MG on the metabolic performance, growth, and blood profile of pigs.

Assessment of different levels of enset (Ensete ventricosum) corm as an energy supplement in sheep fed a basal diet of Rhodes grass hay

The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the effect of feeding different levels of enset corm as a supplement to sheep fed Rhodes grass hay. Thirty local yearling rams with a mean (±SD) body weight of 16.97 (±1.13) kg were used. Six sheep were allocated to each of the five treatments in a completely randomized design. The treatments were hay ad libitum and 129 g dry matter (DM) corm (T1), 188 g DM corm (T2), 248 g DM corm (T3), 100 g DM noug (T4) cake, and hay alone (T5). One hundred grams of noug seedcake was supplemented for all treatments except T5. Total DM and organic matter (OM) intakes of sheep in T1, T2, and T3 were the highest (P < 0.05) compared with sheep in other treatments, while sheep in T5 consumed the lowest DM and OM. The total crude protein (CP) intakes of sheep in T3 and T2 were greater (P < 0.05) than the other treatments, while sheep in T5 consumed the lowest CP. The apparent DM and OM digestibility coefficients of T1, T2, and T3 diets were higher (P < 0.05) compared with T5. The lowest (P < 0.05) CP digestibility was in T5, whereas the digestibility among the supplemented groups was similar (P > 0.05). The daily body weight gain for T1, T2, and T3 diets was greater (P < 0.05) than that of T5. The feed conversion efficiency for T1 and T2 was higher (P < 0.05) than T5, while T4 had an intermediate value. The highest (P < 0.05) nitrogen retention was in sheep fed T3 diet, while the lowest was in those fed T5. It is concluded that farmers can supplement enset corm at 129 g DM/day as an alternative energy source to improve the productivity of sheep for small-scale farmers under enset-livestock production systems.

English

The study was conducted to investigate the effect of supplementing Leucaena pallida in reducing gastrointestinal parasite load and to evaluate growth response of Horro ewe lambs to supplementation and antihelmentic treatment. A total of 32 Horro ewe lambs were randomly assigned to four treatments: Grazing, grazing + antihelmintics only, grazing + 500 g dried Leucaena pallida leaves + 200 g ground maize grain per head/day, and grazing + 200 g noug cake + 200 g ground maize grain per head/day with eight replicates. Feeding L. pallida leaves increased (P &lt; 0.05) growth rates and reduced (P &lt; 0.05) nematode parasite egg counts (Eggs per gram of faeces (EPG)) compared with un-supplemented Horro ewe lambs. Packed cell volume (PCV) was significantly increased (P &lt; 0.05) in Horro ewe lambs supplemented with L. pallida and concentrate and treated with antihelmentic compared to the animals assigned to grazing alone. The results revealed that supplementation of L. pallida with concentrate have beneficial anti-parasitic properties and improved the growth performance of Horro ewe lambs. Key words: Eggs per gram of faeces (EPG), packed cell volume (PCV), nematode, Leucaena pallida, Horro ewe lambs.

Demonstration of maize and noug cake mixture supplementation for women focused small scale sheep fattening in Yilmana Denssa District

Demonstration of maize and noug cake mixture supplementation for women focused small scale sheep fattening in Yilmana Denssa District

Management options to accelerate growth rate and reduce age at first calving in Friesian–Boran crossbred heifers

Two experiments were conducted simultaneously to evaluate the effects of different concentrates to roughage ratios on growth performance and attainment of puberty in Friesian-Boran crossbred heifers. Weaned 50% Friesian-Boran crossbred female calves were used in both experiments with 25 and 20 calves in experiments I and II, respectively. In experiment I, the calves were offered diets with concentrate to roughage ratios of 50:50 (treatment 1) or 30:70 (treatment 2). In experiment II, the calves grazed for 8 h a day and supplemented with 2 kg hay and 1 kg concentrate per head per day (treatment 1) or only 2 kg hay per head per day (treatment 2). The concentrate mixture was composed of 34% wheat bran, 31% wheat middling, 31% noug cake, 3% limestone, and 1% salt. In experiment I, heifers fed a ration with 50% concentrate and 50% roughage had higher (P < 0.05) daily body weight gain (0.532 kg) and attained puberty at 221 kg (65% of the mature body weight) in 15 months, while heifers fed a diet with 30% concentrate and 70% roughage gained 0.434 kg/day and reached puberty at 247 kg (70% of the mature body weight), about 3 months later. Heifers in treatments 1 and 2 of experiment II reached puberty 5 and 12 months later, respectively, than those in experiment I. In experiment II, heifers given 1 kg of concentrate supplement had higher (P < 0.05) daily body weight gain (0.346 kg) than those given only 2 kg hay in addition to grazing (0.278 kg). Growth rate of crossbred heifers was enhanced and age at puberty was reduced by changing the rearing management from outdoor to indoor and with increasing level of concentrate in the ration. This helps to bring the dairy heifer into production earlier and enhance to the overall productivity of the dairy industry.

Growth performance and carcass characteristics of three Ethiopian goat breeds fed grainless diets varying in concentrate to roughage ratios

Growth and carcass characteristics of three Ethiopian goat breeds, the Afar, Central Highland (CHG) and Long-eared Somali (LES) were evaluated using three grainless diets varying in concentrate:roughage ratios (diet 1 was 50:50, diet 2, 65:35 and diet 3, 80:20) under feedlot conditions. The roughage was native grass hay and the concentrate consisted of wheat bran and noug cake (Guizotia abyssinica). Seventy-two eight-month old intact male goats (24 per breed) were randomly allotted to the dietary treatments, fed for 126 days and slaughtered at an age of approximately 12 months. The LES had higher average daily gain (ADG), heavier slaughter, empty body (EBW) and carcass weights than Afar and CHG goats. Diet significantly affected ADG, but was similar on carcass traits except for dressing percentage (DP) on an EBW basis and some non-carcass components. The DP on an EBW basis was the highest on diet 1. Breed affected the DP, which ranged from 42.5 - 44.6% and 54.3 - 55.8% on slaughter weight and EBW basis, respectively. The LES had a greater buttock circumference and carcass compactness. The pH24 varied between 5.61 - 5.67 and chilling losses were between 2.5 and 3.1%. The physical carcass composition (8-10th rib-cut) ranged from 72 - 73, 6.9 - 10.9 and 17.1 - 20.2% for lean, fat and bone, respectively, and the fat content of the meat ranged from 10.3 - 14.0%. Breed affected the weights of internal fat depots. The findings indicate that breed affected the carcass characteristics of the three Ethiopian goat breeds. Keywords: Indigenous goats; carcass yield; carcass composition; primal cuts; non-carcass components South African Journal of Animal Science Vol. 37 (4) 2007: pp.221-232

Effects of four different basal diets on the carcass composition of finishing Borana bulls

Twenty four Borana bulls (average weight 218 ± 6.3 kg) were randomly assigned to 4 finishing diets to study the effects of basal diets on carcass composition. Diets were: R1 (teff straw 30%, local hay 10%, haricot bean straw 10%, molasses 20%, corn grain 20% and haricot bean grain 10%), R2 (teff straw 10%, haricot bean straw 20%, maize stover 10%, molasses 15%, corn grain 25%, noug cake 10% and linseed cake 10%), R3 (teff straw 10%, local hay 20%, molasses 25%, wheat bran 15% and wheat middling 30%) and R4 (teff straw 20%, molasses 30%, wheat bran 20% and wheat middling 30%). Animals were individually fed for 90 days at the recommended level of 3% of body weight. Results showed that, compared to other diets, R1 resulted in a significantly lower hot carcass weight (98.2 ± 18.4, vs 146.8 ± 6.7, 135.2 ± 8.1 and 135.2 ± 3.2, for R2, R3 and R4, respectively). Similar trends were observed for kidney fat, hump, scrotal fat weights and rib eye area. There was no significant difference in heart and omental and mesenteric fat weights, and back fat thickness among rations. However, R2 resulted in the highest weights. Although slight variations were observed in bone, fat and lean meat weight for different primal cuts, the difference among rations was not significant except for loin muscle, rack muscle and breast and shank muscle weights. R1 significantly (P<0.05) differed from other groups. R2 resulted in primal cuts with higher values. It was followed by R4, R3. R1 had the lowest values. Total feed cost did not differ among rations. However, it was highest for R2 and lowest for R3. R4 and R1 fall somewhere in between. Therefore, Borana bulls can be finished on any of the R2, R3 and R4 rations wherever they are available. Alternatively, R1 can be used anywhere else where other rations are scarce. Further studies are required on the effects of age and feeding duration on carcass characteristics of Borana bulls. Key words: Basal diet, borana bulls, carcass composition, primal cuts.

Evaluation of Processing Methods on the Feeding Value of Grass Pea to Broilers

Grass pea is a widely available grain legume that contains a neurotoxin ODAP that has negative effects in humans and animals. Various treatment methods were tested to select methods that are more effective. Socking and cooking at 60, 75, 90 C and boiling temperatures were found to be relatively effective. o Diets containing grass pea prepared using these methods along with diets that contained untreated grass pea and a control that did not contain any grass pea were tested in a broiler trial. Grass pea was included by replacing Noug (Guizotia abyssinica) cake. Four hundred twenty unsexed one day old Cobb broiler chicks of similar body weight were divided into seven groups of 60 and further randomly sub-divided into three replicates of 20 chicks and placed in the experimental pens were used. The study showed that total replacement of Noug cake by boiled grass pea is possible without significantly reducing performance (gain and feed efficiency). Cooking at 90 C can also be considered pending economic evaluation since it was also o similar results to the control diet (p>0.05) in terms of feed efficiency. Performance of broilers on the rations containing grass pea treated using the other methods seem to have depressed performance too much. Comparison of performance during the starter and finisher phases indicates that most of the depressing effects seem to have occurred during the starter phase. There was no visible sign of lathyrism in any of the treatment groups in this study. It is suggested that further economic analysis of using the methods be conducted. Further work on the possibility of using grass pea only during the finisher phase following the apparent reduction of the negative impacts of feeding grass pea at this stage observed in this study is also proposed.

Complementarity of bird-resistant and non-bird-resistant varieties of sorghum stover with cottonseed cake and noug (Guizotia abyssinica) cake when fed to sheep

A study was conducted to examine whether oilseed cakes (cottonseed cake (CSC) or noug (Guizotia abyssinica) cake (NSC)) are complementary to the bird-resistant (BR) and non-bird-resistant (NBR) varieties of sorghum stover and whether sheep select against morphological fractions containing high concentrations of tannins or proanthocyanidins (PA). Either 24 (growth study) or 16 (metabolism study) Ethiopian Menz sheep were used in a randomized complete block design to study the interaction of variety of sorghum stover with type of oilseed cake on feed selection, intake, digestibility, microbial protein synthesis, nitrogen (N) retention and growth. The degradability of the feeds and refusals was also determined. The NBR variety was more degradable than the BR variety during the early hours of incubation. NSC degraded faster, although to a lesser extent than CSC. Stover variety had no effect on ruminal ammonia concentration (RAC) while CSC induced a higher RAC than NSC did. Sheep given the NBR variety had more dust, less heads, less leaf, less sheath and more stem in their ingesta than those fed on the BR variety. It was seen that the sheep discriminated against the stems, since the ratio of stem in ingesta to stem on offer was &lt;1. Since PA are more highly concentrated in the sheath than in any of the other plant fractions, it appears that the choice of the morphological composition of the ingesta by sheep was not determined by PA. Sheep selected a diet which was 2–5% or 5–11% more degradable than the offered or refused feeds, respectively. Relative to NSC, CSC enhanced the intake of N, N bound to neutral detergent fibre (NDF), digestibility and N retention and tended to increase (P&lt;0·06) liveweight gain (LWG) and organic matter (OM) intake but had no effect on microbial protein synthesis. Compared with the NBR variety, the BR variety depressed N digestibility and N retention, had no effect on microbial protein synthesis and on LWG, but depressed the efficiency of LWG by c. 30%. Sheep given the BR+NSC diet had the lowest daily gain but excreted copious amounts of urine, probably in an attempt to eliminate toxic waste substances. Since sorghum is a crop of the semi-arid regions, it is quite likely that, although the bird resistance trait increases crop yield, it has resulted in a feed that is rather less suitable for livestock in this production environment, where water shortages are frequent. In-depth studies on the consequences of water shortage on the utilization of bird-resistant sorghum stover are required.

Comparison between reconstituted sheep faeces and rumen fluid inocula and between in vitro and in sacco digestibility methods as predictors of intake and in vivo digestibility

SUMMARYThis study (conducted in Debre Zeit, Ethiopia in 1993) examined (i) the effect of source of inoculum on in vitro dry matter (DM) digestibility (1VDMD) and gas production (GP) and (ii) the IVDMD, GP and in sacco degradability as predictors of in vivo DM digestibility (DMD) and intake. Six ruminally cannulated male sheep (used in the degradability studies and from which rumen fluid was harvested for the in vitro studies) and six intact sheep (from which faeces for reconstitution was obtained) were given teff straw ad libitum supplemented with 200 g/day of concentrate (1:1 mixture of noug (Guizotia abyssinica) cake and wheat middlings). In determining IVDMD on 26 feeds, pepsin-HC1 digestion was replaced with neutral detergent extraction. Microbial GP was measured on these feeds incubated with rumen fluid or reconstituted faeces inocula at various time periods. The degradability of each feed was determined by the nylon bag technique in three sheep. Eighty-eight intact male Ethiopian Menz type sheep (mean liveweight 256 (S.D. = 1·98) kg) were used in a randomized complete block experiment to determine intake and digestibility.Gas production using faeces inoculum (GP-F) was strongly related to GP using rumen fluid inoculum (GP-R) particularly at 48 h (R2 = 0·85; P &lt;0·001) of incubation. The IVDMD obtained with reconstituted sheep faeces inoculum (IVDMD-F) had a strong positive relationship (R2 = 0·88; P &lt;0·0001) with IVDMD measured using rumen fluid (IVDMD-R). The IVDMD values obtained by centrifugation were positively related to those obtained by filtration for the rumen fluid (R2 = 0·61) and reconstituted faeces (R2 = 0·47) inocula.The relationship between degradability and in vivo DMD was generally poor for roughages but improved with the length of incubation for forage legumes, being strongest at 24 h (R2 = 0·54). The in vivo DMD had the strongest relationship with GP-R at 24 h of incubation for roughages (R2 = 0·64) and legumes (R2 = 0·84). Dry matter degradability was poorly related to DM intake for roughages (R2 &lt;0·10), while these were closely related for legumes particularly at 6 h of incubation (R2 = 0·55). The relationship between GP-R and intake was strongest at 12 h of incubation for roughages (R2 = 0·41) but was generally weak for legumes. The IVDMD accounted for a very low proportion of the variation in intake of roughages and legume forages. The gas production method was the best among the methods tested in predicting voluntary roughage intake, but not the intake of legumes. The nylon bag technique gave the best predictors (solubility, rate constant ‘c’ and Lag phase) of legume intake (R2 = 0·98).The discussion suggests explanations for why the nylon bag technique predicted performance from forage legumes better than from roughages, why the technique was much better as a predictor of intake than of in vivo DMD, and why the gas production technique predicted in vivo DMD and not the intake of legumes. Reconstituted faeces inoculum may replace rumen fluid inoculum in in vitro procedures. The IVDMD method is a less accurate predictor of in vivo DMD than GP and rumen degradability constants. Both feed factors and practices inherent in the methodologies may modify the predictiveness of indirect digestibility methods.

Supplementation of maize stover for Ethiopian Menz sheep: effects of cottonseed, noug (Guizotia abyssinica) or sunflower cake with or without maize on the intake, growth, apparent digestibility, nitrogen balance and excretion of purine derivatives

AbstractThirty-six male Ethiopian Menz sheep (9 to 22 months old, average live weight 15·8 (s.d. 1·84) kg), given maize stover (1·5 timesad libitum) supplemented with either 75 g cottonseed cake (CSC), 114 g noug cake (NGC;Guizotia abyssinica) or 112 g sunflower cake (SFC) with or without maize grain, were used in an 88-day study comprising growth and balance trials. The trials were undertaken according to a randomized-block design with a 2 × 3 factorial arrangement.There were no significant interactions (P&amp;gt; 0·05). Sheep consumed significantly more stover when supplemented with CSC compared with NGC and SFC (P&amp;lt; 0·05). Maize grain significantly increased organic matter intake (P&amp;lt; 0·001). Although CSC tended to support lower live-weight gains, the effect of protein was not significant. Maize grain increased live-weight gains (P&amp;lt; 0·01).Urinary nitrogen (N) excretions were similar between CSC and SFC but about 0·22 higher with NGC (P&amp;gt; 0·05). The faecal N output was 0·33 (P&amp;lt; 0·01) and 0·18 (P&amp;lt; 0·05) higher with CSC than with NGC and SFC respectively. Maize grain had no effect on any of the N-balance measurements.Cottonseed cake supported lower daily production of purine derivatives (PD) (P&amp;lt; 0·01), microbial purine (P &amp;lt; 0·01) and microbial protein (P&amp;lt; 0·01) than either NGC or SFC. Maize grain increased the daily excretion of total PD (P&amp;lt; 0·05), microbial purine (P&amp;lt; 0·05) and microbial protein (P&amp;lt; 0·05). Neither the protein source nor maize grain affected the efficiency of microbial protein synthesis. It was concluded that SFC was utilized more effectively both in terms of rumen microbial N synthesis, N retention and growth. The addition of a small amount of energy as crushed maize grain increased microbial N synthesis, N retention and live-weight gain.

Supplementation of grass hay with molasses in crossbred ( Bos taurus × Bos indicus) non-lactating cows: effect of timing of molasses supplements on feed intake, digestion, DM degradation and rumen fermentation

An experiment was carried out to evaluate the effects of timing of molasses supplementation on feed intake, diet digestibility, degradation of hay dry matter (DM), rumen pool size of total ingesta and neutral detergent fibre, and rumen fermentation. Four ruminally fistulated Friesian ( Bos taurus) × Boran ( Bos indicus) crossbred non-lactating cows, in a balanced 4 × 4 Latin square experiment, were given a basal diet (Diet C) of grass hay ad libitum and 2.0 kg DM of noug ( Guizotia abyssinica) cake per day. The other three diets were supplemented with 2.0 kg DM day −1 of sugar-cane molasses given at the same time as a meal of the basal diet (Diet M0), or 1 h after (Diet M1) or 2 h after (Diet M2) a meal of the basal diet. The DM intake of hay was highest (8 vs. 7 kg) when molasses was given at the same time as the basal diet. The effect of molasses on total DM intake was additive, so that the intake of total DM increased ( P < 0.001) the molasses supplement. The apparent digestibility of DM was increased from 0.57 to 0.61 by including molasses in the diets ( P < 0.01). The molasses diets had no significant effect ( P > 0.05) on the degradation parameters of DM of grass hay. Molasses supplements decreased ( P < 0.001) the mean concentration of ammonia from 14.6 to 9.9 mmol l −1. The molar proportion of acetate was lower in molasses-containing diets (714 vs. 659 mmol mol l −1, P < 0.001), and those of propionate (171 vs. 206 mmol mol l −1, P < 0.001) and butyrate (94 vs. 117 mmol mol l −1, P < 0.01) were higher.

Wilted tagasaste ( Chamaecytisus palmensis) forage as a replacement for a concentrate supplement for lactating crossbred Friesian × Zebu (Boran) dairy cows fed low-quality native hay

An experiment was conducted with four rumen-cannulated crossbred cows in a balanced 4 × 4 Latin square to study the effect of wilted tagasaste ( Chamaecytisus palmensis) forage on rumen parameters and milk yield. The cows were fed a basal diet consisting of ad libitum native hay, mineral lick and water. Tagasaste forage was used to replace, on a dry matter (DM) weight-for-weight basis, 0, 33, 66 and 100% of 4.5 kg of an air-dry concentrate mix based on noug ( Guizotia abyssinica) cake and wheat middlings that was used to supplement the basal diet. The rumen degradation of nitrogen tagasaste forage was intermediate between that of hay and wilted sesbania ( Sesbania sesban) forage. Contents of tannic compounds were low—lower in tagasaste than in sesbania forage. The cows were healthy throughout the 84 day experiment. However, they refused to eat all the tagasaste forage at the higher levels of replacement (66 and 100%), resulting in significantly ( P < 0.001) lower total DM and crude protein intakes. It was concluded that poor palatability might be the main reason for low intake of tagasaste. Decline in nutrient intakes resulted in a simultaneous linear decrease ( P < 0.01 − 0.05) in milk yield and milk protein content. Replacing concentrate with tagasaste did not have a significant effect on the apparent total tract digestion of dietary DM of organic matter, but it decreased the crude protein digestion ( P < 0.05) and increased ( P < 0.01) cell wall digestion linearly. It also had clear and statistically significant ( P < 0.01 − 0.05) linear effects on rumen fluid parameters. pH and acetic acid increased, while propionic and butyric acids and ammonia decreased, in the rumen fluid. Metabolizable energy supply, calculated from the intake of digestible organic matter, was sufficient on all the diets to maintain the milk production level recorded with 0 or 33% replacement (average 5.2 kg day −1), but the supply of crude protein was insufficient to support this production level when 56 or 100% of the concentrate was replaced by tagasaste. It was concluded that tagasaste forage could not be used to replace concentrate as a supplementary feed for crossbred dairy cows without decreasing feed intake and milk yield. It was, however, also concluded that tagasaste should be evaluated in an environment where practical alternatives for energy or protein supplements are scarce or non-existent.

Effect of replacement of concentrate mix by wilted sesbania ( Sesbania sesban) forage on diet digestibility, rumen fermentation and milk production in Friesian X Zebu (Boran) crossbred cows fed low quality native hay

Sesbania ( Sesbania sesban) forage, including leaves and edible stems (stem diameter 2–3 mm) in the ratio 1:3, as a replacement for concentrate supplement in dairy cattle feeding was studied in a 4 × 4 Latin square design experiment with four rumen-cannulated lactating crossbred cows. All the animals were fed a basal diet of low quality native hay, mineral lick and water ad libitum. In Diet 0, the basal diet was supplemented with 4.5 kg air dry commercial concentrate based on noug ( Guizotia abyssinica) cake and wheat middling. In Diets 33, 66 and 100, respectively, one-third, two-thirds and all of the concentrate was replaced with sesbania forage. Nitrogen content of sesbania forage was clearly lower than that of concentrate, but rumen degradation constants indicated that for both the concentrate and the wilted sesbania forage, a major part of the nitrogen was instantly degraded. Increasing sesbania forage on offer in the diet caused a slight, but statistically significant (P < 0.01) linear decline in total feed intake, because all sesbania was not consumed. The simultaneous very clear linear decrease in daily milk yield was also statistically significant ( P < 0.01). Dietary crude protein digestibility decreased ( P < 0.05) with increasing sesbania supplementation, because the proportion of easily or potentially degradable protein was smaller in sesbania than in the concentrate. The supply of metabolisable energy, calculated based on digestible organic matter, was always sufficient to maintain the highest milk production level of Diet 0, but insufficient digestible crude protein limited the milk yield on sesbania diets. To assess nutritionally harmful effects of sesbania forage, long-term trials with more animals are needed.

Fodder tree and straw diets for sheep: intake, growth, digestibility and the effects of phenolics on nitrogen utilisation

Intake, growth, digestibility and nitrogen (N) utilisation by sheep were investigated for seven experimental diets which consisted of teff straw ( Eragrostis abyssinica) fed ad libitum with phyllodes of Acacia cyanophylla (Diet 10, fruits of Acacia sieberiana (Diet 2), leaves of Acacia seyal (Diet 3) and Sesbania sesban (Diet 4), vetch hay ( Vicia dasycarpa) (Diet 5) and noug cake ( Guizotia abyssinica) (Diet 6). Diet 7 included urea to provide an intake of 1% N. A. cyanophylla had a high fibre and lignin content due to a high level of proanthocyanidins (condensed tannins). The three acacias had the highest content of soluble phenolics and insoluble proanthocyanidins. S. sesban had the lowest content of fibre and polyphenols. Diets containing acacias had the highest levels of feed refusals and the lowest intake of teff straw. However, the intake of A. seyal increased over time. Sheep fed S. sesban had the highest intake of teff straw. The growth rate was highest for Diets 4 and 5, reflecting high intakes, while sheep eating Diet 1 lost weight. Growth rates for sheep fed A. seyal were similar to those of sheep fed S. sesban and vetch hay during the last 7 weeks of the growth trial after intake had increased. Digestibility of fibre was lowest for diets containing acacias. Proanthocyanidins in A. cyanophylla may have complexed protein in the digestive tract causing negative digestion coefficients for lignin and N insoluble in neutral detergent. The content of faecal N that was soluble in neutral detergent was highest for sheep fed A. seyal, indicating higher excretion of microbial and endogenous N in the faeces. Urinary N loss was lowest and faecal N loss was highest for diets containing acacias. N balance was positive for sheep fed all diets except A. cyanophylla. The N fraction in diets containing acacias was not nutritionally uniform because of the influence of polyphenols on protein digestion and metabolism.

Sheep productivity in the Ethiopian Highlands on a diet supplemented with urea-molasses block and/or noug cake.

A feeding experiment was carried out in which adult ewes of the Ethiopian Highland Menz breed grazed on meadow pasture were supplemented with urea-molasses block and/or noug cake. There was low consumption of urea-molasses block (67 gd-1) and its contribution to total nitrogen requirement was minimal. Dietary treatment had no significant effect on liveweight changes of ewes, their reproductive performance and performance of the lambs. When there was liver fluke infection, ewes and their lambs which were supplemented with urea-molasses block and/or noug cake had better survival compared to those which did not get any supplements (35% mortality vs 55%). The rumen ammonia-N concentration was significantly lower in the control sheep (11 mg/100 ml) and those that received only urea-molasses (14 mg/100 ml) and highest in sheep receiving the urea-molasses block and noug cake (26 mg/100 ml). The volatile fatty acid proportions were not significantly affected by the diets. Low level of urea-molasses block consumption seemed to be a main factor limiting the usefulness of the urea-molasses block and it is recommended that factors likely to enhance its consumption be investigated.

Performance of crossbred dairy calves fed a basal diet of meadow hay supplemented with noug (Guizotia abyssinica) cake or urea‐molasses mixture with or without phosphate

ZusammenfassungDer Einfluß einer Ergänzung mit Nigersaatkuchen (Guizotica abyssinica) oder Harnstoff/Melasse mit oder ohne Phosphor‐Supplementierung zu einer Wiesenheu‐Ration bei KreuzungskälbernDrei Gruppen zu je sechs Kreuzungskälbern (Friesian × Zebu) erhielten eine Ration aus einheimischem Wiesenheu niedriger Qualität ad libitum. Ergänzt wurde die Heu‐Ration mit Phosphor aus Nigersaatkuchen oder aus anorganischem Phosphat. Alle Tiere wurden isonitrogen über Nigersaatkuchen oder Harnstoff/Melasse versorgt. Die Tiere, die Harnstoff und anorganischen Phosphor erhielten, wiesen eine tägliche Zunahme von 181 g d−1 (P &lt; 0,01) auf, die die Nigersaatkuchen erhielten eine von 287 g d−1 (P &lt; 0,01) im Vergleich zur Kontrolle mit 119 g d−1. Unterschiede in der Futteraufnahme und scheinbaren Verdaulichkeit der Nährstoffe konnten nicht beobachtet werden. Die NH3‐Konzentration und die Konzentration an flüchtigen Fettsäuren zeigte ebenfalls keine signifikanten Unterschiede. Die mit Harnstoff/Melasse versorgten Tiere zeigten größere diurnale Schwankungen der Pansenparameter als die mit Nigersaatkuchen gefütterten Tiere. Die Kälber, die Nigersaatkuchen erhielten, wiesen einen höheren Gehalt an verzweigt‐kettigen Fettsäuren im Pansensaft auf. Der supplementierte Phosphor aus Nigersaatkuchen wurde für die Skelettmineralisierung besser verwertet als der aus anorganischem Phosphat.Aus den gezeigten Ergebnissen geht hervor, daß in den Tropen eine Verbesserung der tierischen Produktion auf relativ schlechter Futtergrundlage möglich ist, wenn die Rationen durch Stickstoff oder Phosphor ergänzt werden. Diese Ergänzung kann, wie in diesen Untersuchungen, über Nigersaatkuchen erfolgen, der nicht nur Phosphor, verzweigt‐kettige Fettsäuren und Aminosäuren für die Pansenmikroorganismen sondern z. B. auch schwer abbaubares Protein zur postruminalen Nutzung bereitstellt.