Singh et al., 2010. Livest. Res. Rural Dev., 22 (8): 150
In 4 separate feeding trials, 4 adult male Muzzafarnagari sheep (mean weight of 26.8± 2.0 kg) were fed mixtures of Dichanthium annulatum (DA) grass and leaves of Helictris isora (HI),Securenegia virosa (SV), Leucaena leucocephala (LL) and Hardwickia binnata (HB), in 75:25 ratios (DM basis) for 90 days on each diet. Feed intake, nutrient utilization, rumen metabolites and rumen water kinetics were measured.
LL had highest CP concentration (20.6%) and HB the lowest CP (11.2%) of the tree leaves, while grass ranged from 4.4 to 5.4% across the feeding trials. Dry matter intake was higher (P<0.05) on DA-HI (3.3% bodyweight and 74.0 g/kgW0.75) than on other diets. DM, CP, NDF, ADF and cellulose digestibility was higher (P<0.05) on DA-HI and DA-SV than DA-HB diet. Faecal N loss was (P<0.05) higher on DA-LL and DA-HB, while urinary N excretion was (P<0.05) more on DA-HI diet. Sheep was in negative N balance on DA-HB diet. Meal size (g/h, % body wt/h and g/kgw0.75/h) was higher (P<0.05) on DA-HI and DA-SV than DA-HB diet. Eating rate (g/h) was higher on DA-HI diet and lowest on DA-HB for 1st and 4th h of eating. In the last 7 and 17 h of feeding sheep eating rate was more on DA-LL and lowest on DA-HB. TVFA and N metabolites concentration was higher (P<0.05) on DA-LL than other diets. Out flow rate (l/d) was more in sheep on DA-HI than other diets, while rumen volume was comparable (P>0.05) on diets.
Results revealed that sheep had higher intake, more nutrients digestibility and optimum rumen metabolites concentration on DA-HI and DA-SV diets while feeding of DA-HB diet lowered nutrients digestibility and rumen metabolites production in sheep