THE EFFECTS OF BROILER LITTER AS PROTEIN SOURCE ON THE PERFORMANCE OF BUNAJI (WHITE FULANI) BULL CALVES

Abstract

Effect on Voluntary feed intake and Intensive livestock production in recent digestibility when growing cattle consuming forage were supplemented with autoclaved broiler litter (ABL) was investigated. Four, 8-11 months old Bunaji bull calves (82.20kg mean initial BW) in a 4x4 Latin squuare with 21-d periods consuming Panicum Maximum hay ad libitum were randomly alloted to treatments. Concentrate supplement treatments with A (Control, 20 ABL), B (20%), C (40%) and (60%)ABL levels respectively. Calves consumed an average of 1882.25g DM, 165, CP from the sole hay ration. As ABL inclusion increased in the concentrated diets, mean intake crude protein (CP), crude fibre (CF), detergent fibre (ADF), neutral detergent fibre (CF), and detergent fibre (ADF), neutral detergent fibre (NDF) and cellulose increased EE decreased significantly (P<0.01). quality, depending largely on type of bedding The digestibilities of the DM, CP, CF, ADF, NDF and cellulose of ration A that contained the highest CW (98%) and the least CP (5.14%) where energy content is low (FAO, 1980). Reduction significantly lower (P < 0.01) than those of ABL of chergy content resulting from the based rations B to D. gain was  greatest (P<0.05) for rations D. Gain:DM intake was greater with ABL than without (0.07,  0.40.0.16 and 0.17 for control A, B, C, and D diets The MFN: FN ratio declined as  dietary nitrogen level increased. The results. emphasised the need to supplement the feeding The digestible energy concentration of the of Bunaji cattle with a concentrate diet that Insight simply consist of a combination of roughage (Fontenot and Jurubescu, cassava wastes meal (CWM) and autoclaved broiler litter (ABL), the best of which was shown in this study to be 60% ABL and 38% CWM offered ad Libitum.