M Asaduzzaman
Bangladesh Livestock Research Institute, Savar, Dhaka
MR Amin
Department of Animal Science, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh-2202, Bangladesh
NR Sarkar
Bangladesh Livestock Research Institute, Savar, Dhaka
KS Huque
Bangladesh Livestock Research Institute, Savar, Dhaka
Red Chittagong cow; Farmers’ diet; Improved feeding; Live weight gain
Satkania Upazila of Chittagong district in Bangladesh
Animal Health and Management
Preparation of supplemented diet for pregnant Red Chittagong cows- The supplemented diet was prepared by mixing wheat bran, mustard oil cake, rice polish, rice bran, common salt and dicalcium phosphate in the proportions of 15, 18, 34, 29, 2 and 2 kg per 100 kg, respectively to maintain the required levels of ME and CP. The ingredients are selected depending on the availability in the local market. Ingredients composition of formulated concentrate diet with energy and protein values is presented. Chemical composition of roughage and concentrate diet- The chemical composition of feed ingredients used in formulated concentrate diet and roughage feeds. The analysis of chemical composition is done by following the procedure of AOAC (2003). Metabolizable energy (ME) was determined by using the in-vitro gas production techniques (Menke et al., 1979). All the samples were analyzed in duplicate and mean values were recorded. Place and duration of the experiment- The experiment was conducted under on-farm conditions of Satkania Upazila of Chittagong district in Bangladesh. The duration of experiment was three months from January 2011 to March 2011. Selection of pregnant Red Chittagong cows Thirty (30) pregnant RC cows of six months of pregnancy and parities between 2 (second) and 3(third) were selected from each of the thirty (30) farmers and used in this experiment. Experimental layout and treatments- The design of the experimental layout and treatments. The cows were randomly allocated to three dietary treatment groups, i.e., T0, T1 and T2. The cows of T0 group received farmers diet (63% of dry matter intake of cows according to ARC, 1995) without the supplementation of formulated concentrate diet (FCD), served as control. The cows of T1 group received farmer’s diet (63%) plus 25% supplementation of formulated concentrate diet (FCD) for deficit of requirement of cows {(63 + 9.25) = 72.25% dry matter intake of cows according to ARC 1995)} and T2 group received farmers diet (63%) plus formulated concentrate diet (FCD) to meet 100% requirements of cows according to ARC (1995) {(63% +37%) = 100%}. Housing and feeding practice of cows-The experimental cows were kept in traditional housing. The supplement diet was carried out in order to correct the nutrient deficiency based on the comparison of control group that estimated following the ARC (1995). The roughages were given twice daily at between 06:00 to 07:30 hours in the morning and at between 15:30 to 16:30 hours in the afternoon. Rice straw was offered at the beginning followed by natural grasses. The total amount of formulated concentrate diet (FCD) was portioned into two and supplied in the morning at between 08:00 to 09:00 hours and afternoon at between 17:00 to 18:30 hours. The FCD was offered soon after feeding roughages. The total amount of FCD was adjusted based on the week of the experiment. The roughages and FCD were weighted and recorded before supplying. Fresh drinking water was accessed ad libitum to all the cows at all the times. Calculation of nutrient requirements- The daily dry matter (DM), metabolizable energy (ME) and crude protein (CP) requirements of pregnant RC cows were calculated based on ARC (1995). The M/D values and CP values of feeds were also calculated based on ARC (1995). Estimation of feed and nutrient intake- The feed was weighted daily before supplying. The leftover feeds were weighted and recorded on the following morning before offering morning feed. The daily feed intake was determined by subtracting the amount of leftover from the amount of feed given on the previous day. The metabolizable energy (ME) and crude protein (CP) was determined from the amount of dry matter (DM) fed in 24 hours. The ME and CP values were determined by multiplying respective ME and CP values of feeds. Weight determination of pregnant Red Chittagong cows and birth weight of calves- The experimental cows were weighed individually at weekly interval and recorded regularly. The weight of RC cows was performed in the morning before feeding. The birth weight of calf was taken immediately after birth and recorded. The placenta was also weighed and recorded. Data collection and record keeping- A formatted register was supplied to each of the thirty (30) farmers for recording of data on the experimental pregnant RC cows. The data on daily feed intake; weekly live weight, date of service, date of calving, calf birth weight and placenta weight were recorded regularly and collected for statistical analysis. Statistical analysis- The collected data were analyzed statistically by using Compare Means (CM); Means procedure of One-Way Analysis of variance (ANOVA): Post Hoc Multiple Comparisons, Equal Variances Assumed by Duncan of SPSS 11.5 for Windows (SPSS Inc. 2004) statistical package.
Bang. J. Anim. Sci. 2019. 48 (1):42-47
Journal