Feeding Systems with Legumes to Intensify Dairy Farms - cgiar
Feeding Systems with Legumes to Intensify Dairy Farms - cgiar
Feeding Systems with Legumes to Intensify Dairy Farms - cgiar
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Table 1. Effect of level and frequency of supplementation <strong>with</strong> sugar cane<br />
and Cratylia on intake and digestibility of African wethers fed a<br />
low-quality basal grass diet (Quilichao, Cauca, Colombia).<br />
Parameter<br />
DM intake (g/kg LW per<br />
day)<br />
a.m. b<br />
0.5% LW<br />
Frequency and level of supplementation a<br />
a.m.<br />
1% LW<br />
19<br />
a.m. + p.m. c<br />
0.5% LW<br />
a.m. + p.m.<br />
1% LW<br />
Basal diet (grass) 25.7 25.2 25.2 25.7 0.8<br />
Sugarcane 2.5 b* 3.3 b 2.8 b 4.0 a 0.4<br />
Cratylia<br />
Digestibility (%)<br />
2.0 c 3.1 b 2.0 c 3.6 a 0.1<br />
IVDMD 53.0 53.0 55.4 56.6 1.7<br />
NDF 54.1 54.3 57.7 57.1 1.8<br />
ADF 51.6 50.7 54.3 53.1 1.9<br />
a. 60% sugarcane + 40% Cratylia argentea (leaves).<br />
b. Supplement fed once a day at 0.5% or 1% LW.<br />
c. Supplement fed twice a day at 0.5% or 1% LW.<br />
d. Standard error.<br />
* Values in the same column followed by the same letters do not differ significantly (P < 0.05),<br />
according <strong>to</strong> Duncan’s test.<br />
These differences in intake of supplements were not reflected in<br />
significant changes in DM or cell wall digestibility. Nevertheless, there was a<br />
tendency for higher digestibility <strong>with</strong> twice-a-day feeding at both levels of<br />
supplementation.<br />
As expected, N intake was highest <strong>with</strong> increased level of<br />
supplementation (Table 2); however, intake was highest when wethers were<br />
fed twice a day. Because fecal and urinary N did not change <strong>with</strong> treatment,<br />
N retention was greater when sheep were given the forage-based<br />
supplements at the high level and twice a day.<br />
SE d