Abstract 558

O'Donovan,-PB; Gebrewolde,A

Inst. Agricultural Research, PO Box 2003, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

TropicalAnimal-Production. 1983, 8: 1, 1-6; 14 ref.

Results are from 2 group-feeding experiments with 40 zebu (Boran) and 15 cross-bred (Simmental, Friesian and Jersey X zebu cattle). When roughages comprised 40% of the diets, cattle given maize silage control diets gained faster than those on all the other treatments. Daily gains did not differ significantly between maize stalks and maize cobs. There was a tendency for bulls to outgain steers. In a 2nd experiment zebu and crossbred bulls were given diets in which maize stalks and cobs each comprised 35 and 50% of the total. Crossbreds gained 0.91 kg/day, significantly faster than zebu bulls, 0.68 kg, and converted feed more efficiently. Daily gains for maize stalks and maize cobs, on average for both concentrations, were 0.76 and 0.83, while gains with 35 and 50% roughage were 0.80 and 0.79 kg.