Urea-treated wheat straw as a feed for milking ewes [Sudan]
1996
Hassan, I.H. (University of Khartoum. Faculty of Animal Production, Shambat (Sudan))
Fourteen Desert ewes were used in an experiment at the Small Ruminant Research Unit (Kuku) to investigate for a complete lactation the effect of feeding wheat straw as the sole roughage portion in a concentrate-supplemented diet on feed intake, liveweight change and milk yield and composition. Wheat straw was either fed untreated or treated with 4 urea, 40 humidity for 4 weeks. Treated wheat straw was mixed at the time of feeding with 25 molasses. The ewes were divided into three comparable groups which were groum penned. Treatments were: A (treated wheat straw only), B (untreated wheat straw +0.75 kg concentrate/day) and c (treated wheat straw + 0.75 kg concentrate/day). A weekly allowance of one kg green berseem (Medicago sativa) was offered to the ewes of all three groups. Urea treatment of wheat straw was found to raise its crude protein content from 2.59 to 7.16. Intake of untreated and treated wheat straw of the two supplemented groups was equal and it was 33 higher than that of the unsupplemented group. No significant difference in milk yield and composition was found between the three groups, but the daily average yield of group c was 47 and 33 higher than that of group A and B respectively. A twenty five percent weight loss, 2.5 weight gain and 4 weight gain of the ewes postpartum weights were observed in groups A, B and C respectively. Weaning weights of the lambs of group C were 37 and 13 higher than those of group A and B respectively. It was concluded that wheat straw, when fed alone, is insufficient to maintain the animal even after treatment and that supplemented wheat straw can provide a suitable ration for milking ewes and that a higher level of production could be achieved when supplementation is coupled with urea treatment.
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