 | Abstract 62A note on live weight and intake and digestibility of food by draught cattle after supplementation of rice straw with the fodder tree Ficus auriculata.Pearson,-RA Centre for Tropical Veterinary Medicine, Easter Bush, Roslin, Midlothian EH25 9RG, UK. Animal-Production. 1990, 51: 3, 635-638; 10 ref. Groups of 5 oxen in the Koshi hills of Nepal were given rice straw ad libitum alone or supplemented with Ficus auriculata forage 4 kg/day. Both diets were low in rumen degradable nitrogen. DM intake for working (5-6 h/day, walking 16 km, climbing 600 m/day) oxen was 70.2 and 51.9 g/kg0.75 for supplemented rice straw and rice straw diets, respectively. Corresponding values for resting oxen were 85.2 and 66.8 g/kg0.75. In the weeks after work the supplemented group regained weight whilst the rice straw only group did not regain weight. Supplementation of rice straw with tree fodder may be acceptable when feeding working oxen although the diet is still likely to be deficient in rumen degradable protein. This abstract relates to the following species: |