A NOTE ON THE EFFECT OF FEEDING DIFFERENT LEVELS OF PROTEIN ON THE GROWTH OF WEANED CALVES ON PASTURE

Authors

  • J. E. Umoh Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.51791/njap.v7i2.2121

Abstract

IN the experiment reported, the effect of feeding different levels of protein, on the performance of young growing calves on pasture, was investigated. Thirty-six calves, mainly Friesian x Bunaji Zebu crosses, of age 3 - 4 months were divided into 3 groups for the concentrate treatments used. The 3 treatments were high protein: low grain feed (HPF), medium protein: medium grain feed (MPF) and low protein: high grain feed (LPF). The dietary protein: grain levels were obtained by mixing groundnut cake (GNC) and sorghum grain, by weight, in the ratios of 75:25; 50:50; and 25:75; respectively. Calves received 1kg DM of concentrate mixture plus free access to Rhodes grass (Chloris gayana) grazing. The average daily live-weight gains of calves were 0.84, 0.75 and 0.87kg for treatments 1,2 and 3 respectively. These did not differ significantly when tested statistically. The results indicate that the lowest of the three protein levels was adequate for the calves for optimum performance in this experiment.

Author Biography

J. E. Umoh, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria

National Animal Production Research Institute

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Published

2021-01-14

How to Cite

Umoh, J. E. (2021). A NOTE ON THE EFFECT OF FEEDING DIFFERENT LEVELS OF PROTEIN ON THE GROWTH OF WEANED CALVES ON PASTURE . Nigerian Journal of Animal Production, 7(2), 127–131. https://doi.org/10.51791/njap.v7i2.2121

Issue

Vol. 7 No. 2 (1980)

Section

Articles

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