aistand south~ern afrkca - (PDF, 101 mb) - USAID

Table 1. Dry matter intake and milk production by grade cows fed fodder-based diets in intensive feeding
systems in Kenya.
Total
DM Milk
Intake productlon
Basal diet Supplement kq/day Animals (kg/day) Source
Napier grass None 13.9 Friesian 10.5 KARl (1984)
8.0 kg concentrate 18.2 Friesian 15.0
Napier grass 2.0 kg concentrate
°
11.6 Crossbreds 7.1 KARl (1985)
Green maize 2.0 kg concentrate 12.0* Crossbreds 8.1
Napier grass 0 kg Leucaena 7.8 Crossbrods 7.2 KARl (1990)
4.0 kg Leucaena 9.3 7.6
8.0 kg Leucaena 10.4 8.3
Early cut silage 2.0 kg concentrate 8.9 Crossbreds 11.7 Abate (1990)
4.0 kg concentrate 8.7 " 12.3
Calculated by authors with DM of concentrate assumed to be 90%.
feeding than did crossbreds. Though sup- amount of cereal bran. The possibility of
plementing with 8.0 kg of concentrate increased attaining high weight gains from complete diets
milk production the practice would not be within based on maize cobs is also shown (Table 10).
the purchasing ability of the small-scale farmer.
At any rate, supplementation should be carefully Constraints to intensive feeding
conducted to avoid replacing forage with practices
concentrate.
Another feed that has been fed to lactating
cows under intensive conditions is ensiled maize
(Abate, 1990). For small-scale farmers forag3
(Absevat n h elimiting
There are practical problems associated with the
feeding of forage in intensive production con­
ditions. Shortage of forage is probably the first
factor. Decreasing quality, particularly
conservation through ensiling may be hampered towards the end of the growing season, imposes
by the difficulties associated with making a limitation for high-yielding animals. Lack of
good-quality silage. The answer may lie in information on suitable forage types and strains
intensifying feed production based on Napier for given locations has contributed to the use of
grass. Examples of such intensification exist in inappropriate strains and subsequently low
the subhumid Kenyan and Tanzania coastal forage yields.
region. Here, copra cake and Leucaena leaf meal It should be recognised that the growing of
are used to supplement diets based on Napier pure fodder crops is likely to receive less
grass (Table 9). attention since the wishes of the farmers to meet
The performance of animals fed diets based their own immediate demand for food will far
or crop residues is shown in Table 10. It is outweigh the need to address the feed
apparent that, without supplementation, zebu requirements of their stock, particularly as land
bulls stall-fed maize stover can only maintain is further subdivided into smaller plots. In
their weight. Gains are, however, possible when addition, competition from cash crops will
supplements are also fed and results seem better preclude the diversion of land and labour to
with forage legumes than with about the same forage production.
Table 9. Effect of Napier fodder supplementation i on DM intake, liveweight change and milk yield of
lactating cows.
Intake per Body
Napier 100 kg weight
Intake Total Intake metabolic wt Milk yield change
Treatments (kgVday) (kglday) (kg) (kg) (kg)
Napier fodder only 5.5 5.5 3.4 4.2 7.1
Napier+ copra cake 5.6 6.8 2.9 5.2 6.1
Napier+ Leucaena 5.8 7.0 3.4 5.2 7.6
1. Supplementation at the rate of 300 g/day for 56 days.
Source: Adapted from Mulnga R W, Thorpe Wand Toppa J H. 1991. The lactatlonal performance of Jerse cows given
Napior-fodder with and without protein concentrates in the semi-humid tropics. KARIALCA, P.O.Box 80147,
Mombasa, Kenya.
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