Performance of growing ongole crossbred cattle fed rations containing different levels of oil palm fronds silage

摘要

Oil palm fronds (OPF) silage can be fed to growing ongole crossbred cattle (OCC) up to 60% on dry matter (DM) basis with the optimum level of 46%.The OCC (crossing among zebu - Bos indicus, banteng - Bos javanicus, and other indigenous Indonesian breeds) are well adapted to harsh environments under hot and humid climate and low-quality feed to produce meat. In the dry season, natural pastures decrease in nutritive value and improved grasses cannot grow. OPFs are a by-product of the cultivation of oil palm trees; about 10.8 t OPF DM is yielded per year from each hectare of oil palm trees (Zahari et al., 2003) with estimated fibre supply for about6-7 animal units/ha/year. OPFs are a palatable, low-protein, high-fibre material with good feeding potential for ruminant livestock. Ensiling OPF is a promising alternative to conserve and utilize it as an efficient ruminant feed, which is not a usual phenomenon in Indonesia. The objectives of this trial were to find out the optimum level of feeding of OPF silage in OCC and its effect on their productive performance.