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MEKARN Conference 2010 |
This experiment was carried out on-station at Angiang University (Chau Phu district, An Giang province). Four Yellow cattle (102 kg live weight) were used in a 4*4 Latin square arrangement of four treatments with 4 replications each. The experiment was designed to compare effect of Para grass (RSPG) or mimosa hay (MH) on feed intake and digestibility in cattle fed a basal diet of urea-treated or untreated rice straw offered ad libitum. Fresh para grass or mimosa hay were fed at levels of 6 g DM/kg live weight. The rumen supplement (mainly urea, sulphur and other minerals) was given as at 0.25% of live weight.
Feed intake and apparent digestibility coefficients for crude protein were increased by supplementation with mimosa hay compared with para grass (240 and 220 g DM/day) and (63.1% and 61.6%), respectively. A supplement of Mimosa pigra supports better growth in cattle than a supplement of Para grass and is an effective way to make use of what is otherwise an invasive weed.
Key words: intake, digestibility, cattles, mimosa hay, para grass