EFFECT OF INCLUSION LEVELS OF PALM KERNEL CAKE ON THE GROWTH PERFORMANCE OF WEANED BUNAJI CALVES

Abstract

An experiment was conducted using thirty (30) weaned Bunaji calves with a live weight range of 85-94kg and age range of 7.5-9 months. The calves were balanced for weight and allotted to five (5) dietary treatments in a 2x5 factorial arrangement laid in Completely Randomized Design. They were individually penned and fed diets containing graded levels of palm kernel cake (PKC) and Digitaria smutsii (Wolly finger grass) hay at 2% of their body weight each. Feeding was conducted for 90 days. The CP contents of the diets vary between 13.88 and 18.00% while the ME ranged from 11.79 to 11.81MJ/kg DM. The crude fibre varied from 28.00 to 33.50%. When the level of inclusion was considered, the result of the feeding trial showed significant (P<0.05) difference in most of the parameters measured except the initial weight. Animals on diets containing 30% PKC (0.58Kg) inclusion had the highest weight gain. The economic analyses showed that cost per kg gain was highest at 0% PKC inclusion and lowest at 40% PKC. Weight gain and value of gain (VWG) was highest at 30% PKC inclusion and lowest at 0% PKC inclusion. There was positive Net Benefit (NB) and Return to Investment on feed (RIF) when level of PKC inclusion was
considered hence it was concluded from the result of the performance and economic analyses that PKC can be fed to weaner calves of at 30% PKC for optimum performance without any adverse effect.