Predictions of voluntary dry matter intake by dairy cattle supplemented with differrent levels of leucaena leucocephala leaf meal

Abstract

An experiment was carried to develop an appropriate prediction equation for dry matter intake (DMI) by 20 zero grazed cows using forage degradation characteristics, body weight and dry matter yield per hectare. Cows were fed on hay and were supplemented with five rations containing. Different levels of Leucaena leucocephala leaf meal (LLM), cottonseed hulls (CSH) and maize bran (MB) in completely randomised block design. Ration 1, 2, 3 and 4 had 0, 1.2, 2.0 and 2.6 kg DM of LLM respectively. Diet 5 was a standard ration and was composed of 1.8 of cotton seed cake (CSC) and 1.8 kg DM of MB. Dry matter yield (DMY) of the grazinglands and body weights (BW) of the cows were determined using standard methods. Dry matter degradation characteristics of individual grass species composing the basal diet was determined in in-sacco in the rumen of three Boran steers fed on Brachiaria hay. DMY, degradation characteristics (a, b and c) and digestibility at 48 hours, BW were used to develop prediction equations for DMI using multiple regression analysis. Treatment diets significantly (P 0.05) difference in DMI between cows supplemented with ration 2, 3 and 5 (av. 14.2, 14.3 and 14.8 kg DMI/cow/day respectively. There were an increase in DMI as LLM supplementation increased in the rations with cows on treatment 4 showing significant (P<0.001) higher DMI than the rest of the rations and was found to be the optimal supplementation ration under the existing feeding conditions.