Abstract
The study was conducted at Sinana Agricultural Research Center, Ethiopia to assess the supplementation of graded levels of vetch (Vicia dasycarpa `lana’) and lucerne (Medicago sativa,’ Hunter river’) hay on feed intake, digestibility and body weight (BW) change of Arsi-Bale sheep fed urea treated barley straw (UTBS). A 7 day- digestibility and a 90 day- feed intake trials were conducted using 28 and 35 sheep, respectively. The experimental design was a randomized complete block design with seven dietary treatments that consisted of feeding UTBS (T1) as the control treatment, UTBS plus 150, 250 and 350 g dry matter (DM) per day of vetch for T2, T3, T4, respectively and UTBS plus 150, 250 and 350 g DM per day of lucerne for T5, T6 and T7, respectively. Intake of UTBS was not affected (P > 0.05) by inclusion of lucerne hay at 25–35% of daily DM intake. The supplements increased daily intake of total DM, organic matter (OM), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF) and metabolizable energy (ME) (P < 0.001) as well as apparent digestibility of DM, OM (P < 0.001), NDF (P < 0.01), ADF, crude protein (CP) (P < 0.05) and daily BW gain (P < 0.001). Supplementation with lucerne than vetch hay promoted higher (P < 0.001) CP and ME intakes and daily BW gain. Feeding with the UTBS without supplementation was enough to meet the maintenance requirements of the sheep and allow small BW gain. The results of the study showed that urea treatment of barley straw in conjunction with supplementation of lucerne or vetch hay could serve as a useful strategy in improving smallholder sheep production in the tropics.
Similar content being viewed by others
Abbreviations
- ADF:
-
acid detergent fibre
- ADL:
-
acid detergent lignin
- CP:
-
crude protein
- DM:
-
dry matter
- FCE:
-
feed conversion efficiency
- IVOMD:
-
in vitro organic matter digestibility
- ME:
-
metabolizable energy
- NDF:
-
neutral detergent fibre
- OM:
-
organic matter
- UTBS:
-
urea treated barley straw
References
AOAC, 1990. Official Methods of Analysis 15th ed. Association of Official Analytic Chemists. AOAC. (Arlington, USA).
Bogale, S., Melaku, S. and Yami, A., 2008. Potential use of crop residues as livestock feed resources under conditions of smallholder farmers in the Bale highlands of Ethiopia. Tropical and Subtropical Agroecosystems, 8, 107–114
Castrillo, C., Funderella, M., Guada, J.A. and deVega, A., 1995. Effect of ammonia treatment and carbohydrate supplementation on the intake and digestibility of barley straw diets by sheep. Animal Feed Science and Technology, 51, 73–85. doi:10.1016/0377-8401(95)00682-D
CTA, 1992. Ruminant Nutrition. The Tropical Agriculturalist, CTA Publication.
Getachew, G., Said, A.N. and Sundstøl, F., 1994. The effect of forage legume supplementation on digestibility and body weight gain by sheep fed a basal diet of maize stover. Animal Feed Science and Technology, 46, 97–108. doi:10.1016/0377-8401(94)90068-X
Givens, D.I., Adamson, A.H., and Cobby, J.M., 1988. The effect of ammoniation on the nutritive value of wheat, barley and oat straws. II. Digestibility and energy value measurements in vivo and their prediction from laboratory measurements. Animal Feed Science and Technology, 19, 173–175. doi:10.1016/0377-8401(88)90065-X
Hadjipanayiotou, M., Verhaeghe, L., Kronfoleh, A.R., Labban, L.M., Shurbaji, A., Amin, M., Merawi, A.R., Harress, A.K., Houssein, M., Malki, G. and Dassouki, M., 1993. Feeding ammoniated straw to cattle and sheep in Syria. Livestock Research for Rural Development, 5, 1–7.
Hadjipanayiotou, M., Economides, S., Kyprianou, G., Antoniou, I., Photiou, A., 1997. Feeding urea treated barley straw to lactating Friesian cows. Livestock Research for Rural Development, 9, 1–13.
Hassen, L. and Chenost, M., 1992. Tentative explanation of the abnormally high fecal nitrogen excretion with poor quality roughages treated with ammonia. Animal Feed Science and Technology, 38, 25–34. doi:10.1016/0377-8401(92)90073-F
Kebede, G., 2006. Effect of urea-treatment and leucaena (Leucaena leucocephala) supplementation on the utilization of wheat straw as feed for sheep. MSc. Thesis. Haramaya University, (Haramaya, Ethiopia).
Kitaw, G., 2006. Replacement of formulated concentrate mix with vetch (Vicia dasycarpa) hay to lactating crossbred dairy cows fed on urea treated wheat straw. MSc. Thesis. Haramaya University, (Haramaya, Ethiopia).
Klopfenstein, T. and Owen, F.G., 1981. Value and potential use of crop residues and by-products in dairy rations. Journal of Dairy Science, 64, 1250–1268.
Liu, J.X., Ye, J.A. and Ye, H.W., 1997. Effects of supplementary Chinese milk vetch silage on straw intake and growth rate of Holstein heifers given ammoniated rice straw. Animal Feed Science and Technology, 65, 78–86. doi:10.1016/S0377-8401(96)01083-8
McDonald, P., Edwards, R.A., Greenhalgh J.F.D. and Morgan, C.A., 2002. Animal Nutrition. 6th ed., (Prentice Hall. London).
Melaku, S., 2004. Feed intake, digestion kinetics and rumen volatile fatty acids in Menz rams supplemented with Lablab purpureus or graded levels of Leucaena pallida 14203 and Sesbania sesban 1198. Animal Feed Science and Technology, 117, 61–73. doi:10.1016/j.anifeedsci.2004.07.016
Melaku, S., Peters, K.J. and Tegenge, A., 2004. Effects of supplementation with foliages of selected multipurpose trees, their mixtures or wheat bran on feed intake, plasma enzyme activities, live weight and circumference gains in Menz sheep. Livestock Production Science, 89, 253–264. doi:10.1016/j.livprodsci.2004.01.003
Melaku, S., Peters, K.J. and Tegegne, A. 2005. Intake, digestibility and passage rate in Menz sheep fed tef (Eragrostis tef) straw supplemented with dried leaves of selected multipurpose trees, their mixtures or wheat bran. Small Ruminant Research, 56, 139–149. doi:10.1016/j.smallrumres.2004.06.008
Mengistu, A., 2004. Rangeland: Biodiversity concepts, approaches and the way forward. (Addis Ababa University, Faculty of Science, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia).
Mesfin, R. and Ledin, I., 2004. Comparison of feeding urea-treated teff and barley straw based diets with hay based diet to crossbred dairy cows on feed intake, milk yield, milk composition and economic benefits. Livestock Research for Rural Development, 16, Art. # 104. Retrieved January 25, 2008, from http://www.cipav.org.co/lrrd/lrrd16/12/mesf16104.htm
Poland, C., Faller, T., Tisor, L., 2003. Effect of chickling vetch (Lathyrus sativus L.) or alfalfa (Medicago sativa) hay in gestating ewe diets. Annual Report. (North Dakota State University).
SARC, 2005. Sinana Agricultural Research Centre, Annual Report. Oromia Agricultural Research Institute, Animal Feeds and Nutrition Research Division, (Sinana, Bale, Ethiopia).
SAS, 1999. Version 8. Statistical Analysis System Institute Inc., (NC., USA).
Shuang, G.T., J.K. Yuan, W.X. Zhang and J.L. Wu, 1995. Utilization of straws by Chinese yellow cattle. Livestock Research for Rural Development, 6, 3–6.
Sundstøl, F., 1988. Improvement of poor quality forage and roughages. In: E.R., Ørskov (ed.), World Animal Science, (Elsevier, Amsterdam).
Tilley, J.M.A. and Terry, R.A., 1963. A two-stage technique for in vitro digestion of forage crops. Journal of British Grassland Society, 18, 104.
Tolera, A. and Sundstøl, F., 2000. Supplementation of graded levels of Desmodium introtum hay to sheep fed on basal diet of maize stover harvested at three stages of maturity. Feed intake, digestibility and body weight change. Animal Feed Science and Technology, 85, 239–257. doi:10.1016/S0377-8401(00)00135-8
Topps, J.H., 1997. Forage legumes as protein supplement to poor quality diets in the semi-arid tropics. In: R.J., Wallace and A., Lahlou Kassi (eds.), Rumen Ecology Research Planning. Proceedings of a Workshop held at International Livestock Research Institute, (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia).
Van Soest, P.J., 1994. Nutritional Ecology of Ruminants. 2nd ed., (Cornell University Press, Ithaca, New York, USA).
Van Soest, P.J. and Robertson, J.B., 1985. Analysis of forage and fibrous foods. A laboratory manual for Animal Science 613, (Cornell University Press, Ithaca, New York, USA).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Abate, D., Melaku, S. Effect of supplementing urea-treated barley straw with lucerne or vetch hays on feed intake, digestibility and growth of Arsi Bale Sheep. Trop Anim Health Prod 41, 579–586 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-008-9227-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-008-9227-1