Evaluation of growth performance, feed intake and diet digestibility in growing buffaloes supplemented with ensiled groundnut vines in the traditional diet

Dao Lan Nhi, Do Van Con and Khuat Thai Ha

National Institute of Animal Husbandry

Thuy Phuong, Tu Liem, Ha Noi

Abstract

Sixteen male buffaloes at 12-15 months of age with 150-163 kg liveweight were allocated to 4 treatments (4 animals in each) and was supplemented a part of their basal diet with ensilaged groundnut vines. The objective was to evaluate the effecsts on DM intake, digestibility and growth performance of young buffaloes when supplementation of groundnut vines silage at level of 0, 10, 20 and 30 % (in DM) in the basal diet (natural grasses and rice straw). The average DM intake in the treatments EGN0, EGN10, EGN20 and EGN30 were not differed with values of 5.27, 5.43, 5.35 and 5.48 kg/day and the daily gain were 405, 405, 4.18 and 464 g/day. There were no differences in digestibility among the diets. However, there was a tendency for digestibility coefficiens to be lowest for control diet. It is concluded that young buffaoes can be fed up top 30 % of their diet (in DM) as ensiled groundnut vines with the improvement of growth performance but with lower costs.

Key words: Ensilaged groundnut vines, growth performance of young buffaloes

Introduction

The three milion buffaloes in Vietnam are almost all reared on smallholder farms. The main population (>70 %) of these Swamp buffalo is in the Northen mountainous part of the country. Buffaloes are grazed during the day and feed rice straw at night. These feed have low protein contents

There are around 1.2 million tons of groundnut vines produced annually in Vietnam by smallholder farmers (Bui Van Chinh and Le Viet Ly, 2001). Traditionally these by-products are used as green manure. Some of farmers dry and store them to feed to their buffaloes. However, dryinggroundnut leaves and stems to get groundnut hay is a big problem for farmers during the rainy season.

Ensiling of groundnut vines was a convenient way of preserving the nutritive value. The level of 5 % maize meal (fresh basis) was sufficient for producing good quallity silage and was cheapest and easiest treatment that can be applied on farms (Vo Thi Kim Thanh et al., 2000). That supplementation of ensilaged groundnut vines to traditional diet based on natural grass and rice straw can improve DM intake, digestibility and growth performance of young buffaloes.

The objective of this study was to examine effects of supplementation of ensilaged groundnut vines to the traditional diet (natural grasses and rice straw) for young buffaloes under small farmer condition at the mountainous areas.

Materials and Methods

Location

The research was carried out from December 2003 to August 2004 in the Tu Lap village, Me Linh district, Vinh Phuc provine.

Preparation of ensilaged groundnut vines

The groundnut vines were harvested in December, during groundnut havesting. The groundnut vines were chopped into a long of 10-12 cm and ensilaged with 5 % of maize meal (fresh basis) in the large and thick plastic bags. After 10 weeks of fermentation, ensiled groundnut vines were taken out and used as feed for experimental animals and analysis chemical compositions.

On- station feeding trail

Animal and management.

Sixteen young man buffaloes with a innitial liveweight of 150-163 kg were purchased from a breeding area in the provine. After 1 week for addaptation and vaccination, they were randomly allocated to 4 treatments (each treatment consisting of 4 buffaloes).

Diets and feeding

·The control diet: The animals were fed natural grasses at a level of 60 % and rice straw 40 % (on dry matter basis) daily without supplementation of ensilaged groundnut vines (control group).

·The experimental diets: The animals were supplemented ensilaged groundnut vines to the a part from the control diet with amount of 10, 20 and 30 % (on DM basic) in the diet 1, 2 and 3, respectively.

All feed were chopped and mixed before feeding. The feed was be fed to buffaloes ad. libitum with 4 times/day (at 6, 10 AM and 2, 7 PM daily). All animals in the experiment were be kept in individual pens for feeding. Water was freely avalable. The experimental period was 3 months.

Photo 1. The young buffaloes for the experiment

Digestibility trail

The experiment was used the total faeces collection method, analysic and calculation DM digestibility for all the diets.

On-farm feeding trial

Twenty growing man with a mean initial liveweight of 130-172 kg reared in twenty households (each household keeps one buffalo only) and then randomly allocated to one of the two treatments: Control and experimental groups (ten per treatment).

The control diet was made up of grazing during day and feeding rice straw ad. libitum at night. The experimental diet as the control diet plus the optimum level identified in the On-station trial of ensiled groundnut vines before feeding rice straw

The Experiment carried out for 75 days (excluding the 5 days adaptation period)

Measurements.

• Feed offered and refused were recorded daily to calculate feed intake
• Live weight change of animals recorded every months, calculation of growth rate.
• Digestibility of DM and Feed conversion
• Production cost/1 kg live weight gain was determined to evaluate efficiency of ensilaged groundnut vines supplementation.

Results and discussion

Nutritive values of feed

The groundnut wines were procced to produce an acceptable silage in terms of smell and appearance. The pH dropped to 4.10 after ensiling 60 days when taking the silage out for feeding the buffaloes. The dry matter percentages did not change materially during the ensiling period. There were no consistent changes in crude protein and crude fible concentration after proccesing the groundnut wines. In before study the dry matter content and crude protein concentration (% in DM) of groundnut vines silage were 25-26 % and 16-17 % respectively (Vo Thi Kim Thanh et al. 2000). The Lactic and Acetic acid were 2.25 and 1.07 % respectively, and Butilic acid only traces (table 1). These results weree in agreement with those observed by Bui Van Chinh et al. (1997)

Feed intake

Total dry matter intake was the same on all diets (table 2). Crude protein intake increased following the increase the rates of groundnut vines silage supplementation in the diets. The Crude protein intake (kg/day) were different significantly (P<0.05) between treatments 1, 2 and 3 compare to cotrol treatment.

Digestibility

By total faeces collection method, analysic and calculation, the DM digestibility of all diets were 54.6, 54.8, 55.5 and 55.4 %. There were no differences in digestibility among the diets. However, there was a tendency for digestibility coefficiens to be lowest for control diet, natural grass and rice straw only.

Effects on growth performance

Buffalo perfomance was rather poor in the present experiment, with growth rate of 405-464 g/day and feed conversion of 11.8-13.4 kg DM/kg liveweight gain. However, these value were fairly typical for young buffaloes on small-holding with the diet without concentrate.

There was a trend towards increase of liveweight gain (kg/day) follow the increased levels of EGN supplementation in the diets. The mean daily gain was highest (464 g/day) and the best feed coversion (11.8 kg DM/kg liveweight gain) in the treatment with 30 % of ensiled groundnut wines in total DM intake. There were significant differences (P<0.05) in daily gain between the treatment 3 compare to treatment 1, 2 and control (table 3). This indicates that groundnut wine silage could supplement with level of 30 % (DM basic) in the basal diets of buffaloes for improving of growth performance.

On-farm feeding trial

Two experimental groups were designed with 10 bulls per each, feeding for 75 days with the ensiled groundnut vines (6-7 kg daily) replacing about 30 % of dry matter from green forage and rice straw allowance

The resuls are in the table 4 which show that the ensiled groundnut vines supplementation with 30 % of dry matter intake of basal buffalo diet, with improvement in daily gain. The cost one kg of gain decreased by 11 %.

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Conclusion

- Groundnut vines were ensilled with 5 % of maize flour can used as buffalo feed, contributing the beter use of animal feed resources with cheaper cost.

- The young male buffaoes can be fed up top 30 % of ensiled groundnut vines (in DM basis) in their basal diet including nutural grass and rice straw for improving the growth performance.

References

1NIAH, Hanoi Vietnam; 2Veterynary Station of Vinh Phuc