Effect of Feeding Gliricidia and Sorghum Silage on the Growth Performanceof Crossbred Heifers

摘要

Growth performance of crossbred heifers was studied for a period of 8 weeks by feeding Sorghum and Gliricidia silage. For that study twenty heifers were divided into five groups on the nearness of age and weight. Five treatments were studied namely T_1- Jowar + Gliricidia (100 + 0), T_2- Jowar + Gliricidia (75 + 25), T_3- Jowar + Gliricidia (50 + 50), T_4- Jowar + Gliricidia (25 + 75), T_5- Jowar + Gliricidia (0+ 100). The proximate analysis of silage combination showed higher Dry matter (DM) (32.21%) in T,- Jowar + Gliricidia (100 + 0), T_5- Jowar + Gliricidia (0+ 100) was higher in Crude protein (CP) (18.12%) content, T_2- Jowar + Gliricidia (75 + 25) was higher in Crude fiber (CF) (38.82%) content, T5- Jowar + Gliricidia (0+ 100) was higher in Ether extract (EE) (03.99%) content, T_3- Jowar + Gliricidia (50 + 50) was higher in Nitrogen free extract (NFE) (44.98%) content, and T_5- Jowar + Gliricidia (0 + 100), contains higher Ash (10.60%). The daily dry matter intake per 100 kg body weight of heifers was higher in T_3 followed T_5 and T_4 treatments. The highest body weight gain in heifers was observed in treatment T_4 (20.92 kg), followed by T_3 (20.02 kg) and lowest in treatment T_5 (11.00 kg) growth performance namely height, chest girth andlength of heifers was more in T_4 and T_3 treatments as compared to T_5, T_1 and T_2 treatments. The palatability of T_1 - Jowar + Gliricidia (100 + 0) was higher over other silage combination.