EFFECT OF THE ADDITION OF MAIZE MILLING WASTE AND GROUNDNUT HAULMS ON THE RUMEN DEGRADATION CHARACTERISTICS OF RICE STRAW AND MAIZE HUSKS

摘要

Four intact Yankasa x Balami rams fitted with rumen cannulae were used They were given four diets in a 2x4 factorial design The diets were: Treated Rice Straw (TRS) + groundnut haulms (GNH) + MMW (Maize Milling Waste) (T-1 ); TRS + GNH (T-2); Untreated Rice Straw (URS) + GNH + MMW (T-3) and URS + GNH (T-4). Both TRS and MMW were fed at the rate of 20g/kg body weight while GNH was fed at the rate of 100g/ head/day. These diets created four different rumen environments for measuring the dry matter degradability (g/100g DM) of treated and untreated rice straw or maize husk in the rumen after different in-sacco incubation times and also to measure both the Rumen Ammonia Concentration (RAC) (mg/100ml) and pH of the rumen liquor. The dry matter degradabiiities (g/100g DM) after 48 hrs in-sacco incubations were: 52 99, 47 99, 45 78 and 39 83% for URS; 63.84, 57.31, 43.80 and 49 35% for TRS; 34.25,40.09,49.23 and 38.77% for UMH; and 56.06, 74.17, 61.83 and 51.65% for TMH. The RAC (mgNH3/100ml) and pH values 4 hrs post feeding for T-1 T-2, T-3, and T-4 were: 6.91 and 6.35; 7.57 and 6.48; 9.22 and 6.50; and 13.17 and 6.63 respectively. Using potential degradability (PD) as an index of forage quality and efficiency of rumen digestion, treated maize husks appeared to be more dégradable than treated rice straw.