On-farm introduction of some dry season feeding strategies to cattle farmers on the Accra Plains ofGhana and the response of cattle to these strategies.2. On-farm studies on the use of urea-ammoniatedrice straw as a dry season feed supplement for cattle
2002
Oddoye, E.O.K., Animal Research Institute, CSiR, P. 0. BoxAH20, Achimota; | Fleischer, J.E., Department of Animal Science, University of Ghana, Legan, Ghana) | Amaning-Kwarteng, K., Department of Animal Science, University of Ghana, Legan, Ghana) | Awotei, E.K., Department of Animal Science, University of Ghana, Legan, Ghana)
A feeding trial was carried out on-farm, in the Dangbe East District on the Accra Plains, to demonstrate to farmers the effect of feed supplementation on parturient cows grazing natural unimproved grasslands. A supplement of urea-ammoniated rice straw was fed to cows on four farms. with cows on four other farms serving as controls. FQur cow and calf pairs were monitored on each farm. Animals were weighed monthly with a Dalton weighband. Supplemented cows lost significantly (P 0.05) less weight (-0.23 vs -0.34 kg day") than their unsupplemented counterparts. Calves of supplemented cows showed a slightly better weight gain, though not significantly different (P0.05), than calves of unsupplemented cows (0.19 vs 0.16 kg day"). Mean body condition score of cows was not significantly (P0.05) affected by supplementation. Mean cow body condition scores were 4.7 and 4.3 for supplemented and unsupplemented cows, respectively. However, there was a significant time x treatment tnteraction. In February, supplemented cows had a significantly (P0.05) higher body condition score (5.0) as compared to unsupplemented cows (4.3). By the end of the project, farmers had learnt to prepare urea-ammoniated rice straw by themselves without supervision.
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