Effect of molasses supplementation of a roughage based diet on growth performances of cattle

Huque, K. S.; Talukder, A. I.

doi:1995.8.4.337

Article

Ruminant Nutrition and Forage Utilization

Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences 1995;8(4): 337-342.
https://doi.org/10.5713/ajas.1995.337 Published online August 1, 1995.

Effect of molasses supplementation of a roughage based diet on growth performances of cattle

K. S. Huque, A. I. Talukder

Abstract

Two feeding trials were conducted to determine the effect of molasses feeding on the growth performances of bulls. In the first experiment, the straw of a control diet of straw and urea was replaced by molasses of 150 g (M150) or 300g kg-1(M300). The three diets were fed ad libitum to three groups of bulls having five in each and the dietary responses were statistically analyzed in a simple design. The bulls were given fishmeal (30g hd-1 d-1), wheat bran(0.5% of Libeweight, LW) and allowed grazing for 5 hrs d-1. Molasses supplementation significantly(p<0.001) increased the dry matter intake(DMI) of the bulls of M150(35.8g) and of M300(42.9g) than the control(30.4g kg-0.75). The daily LW gain of the bulls of the M150(982g) was significantly(p<0.05) higher than the bulls of the control or of the M300 diet. In the second experiment, a control group of four bulls was fed a straw diet. Treatment two groups, having four bulls in each, were fed a mixed diet of Leucaena leucocephala and Setaria splendida(1:1, DM basis) with (LSM) and without(LS) molasses at 100g kg-1. The dietary responses were statistically analyzed in a simple design. The bulls of the LSM diet had significantly(p<0.05) higher DMI, DM digestibility and LW gain(128g kg-0.75, 663g kg-1 and 419g d-1, respectively) than the bulls of the LS diet(98.3g kg-0.75, 583g kg-1 and 292g d-1, respectively). But the differences between the LSM and the control were nonsignificant. It may be concluded that molasses may be utilized as supplement to straw at 150g kg-1 or forages at 100g kg-1 diet for the profitable beef production from young growing bulls.

Keywords: Molasses; Supplementation; Growth; Cattle