EFFECf OF SUPPLEMENTING RHODES GRASS HAY WITH corrON SEEOCAKEAND Acacia tortilis PODS ON GROWTH PERFORMANCE OF THE SMALL EAST AFRICAN ZEBU WEANERS

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of cotton seedcake and Acacia torti/is pods as protein supplements on the growth performance of the Small East African zebu weaner cattle. The basal diet for the animals was Rhodes grass (Chloris gayana) hay. Two experiments were carried out. There were four animals per treatment in each experiment. In each experiment basal diet left overs were weighed the following morning just before the amount for that day was offered; this allowed the determination of amounts consumed on the previous day. Mineral lick and water were provided ad libitwn. Completely randomized design was used to allocate animals to treatments and data were analyzed using General Linear Model of SAS. The aim of the first experiment was to compare the performance of weanling cattle fed A. lortilis pods and cotton seedcalre as protein supplements where the quantity of the former was double that of the latter. The treatments comprised of, control (basal Rhodes grass hay ad libitum). control and 300g cotton seedcake per animal per day, control and 500g cotton seedcake per animal per day, contml and 600g A. tortilis pods per animal per day, control and lOOOg A. tortilis pods per animal per day for treatments I, 2, 3, 4 and 5 respectively. The weanHngs demonstrated inoreased (P<O.05) feed intake and (P<O.05) live weight gain with increases in supplementation, buffeed intake was not different (P>O.05) for weanlings in treatments 1 and 4, 1 and 5 and, 4 and 5. The Average daily gain (ADG) were; treatment one 112g~ treatment two 352g~ treatment three 380& treatment four 1939 and treatment five 246g.