 | Abstract 472Utilization of maize and sorghum stover by sheep and goats after feed-quality improvement by various treatments and supplements.Tessema,-S; Emojong,-EE FAO/National Dryland Farming Research Station, Katumani, Kenya. East-African-Agricultural-and-Forestry-Journal. 1984, 44: Suppl., 408-415; 9 ref. Treatment of maize and sorghum stover with 5% sodium hydroxide reduced fibre by about 15%. Digestibility of DM in vitro increased by 8.5% and intakes increased by about 60%. Gains by sheep and goats grazing pasture in a dryland region of Kenya were small when treated or untreated stover was given but were significantly greater than when no supplement was given. Gains were increased when urea, molasses and minerals were added to the stover. The improvements brought about by treatment with NaOH do not seem to warrant expenditure at the current price of NaOH. Supplementation with indigenous plants such as Leucaena leucocephala or pigeon pea stover is considered most suitable. This abstract relates to the following species:
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