Khan MA Samad
Bangladesh Agricultural University, Bangladesh
Title: Strategic supplementation with urea molasses block to improve production and reproductive efficiency in straw based diet cows
Biography
Biography: Khan MA Samad
Abstract
In smallholder production system, a major constraint to milk production is the seasonality forced on cow by inadequate feeding during dry season in Bangladesh. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a cost effective supplementary feeding system for poor quality roughage based cattle production. Urea molasses block (UMB) supplementation may be a technology to solve the nutritional inadequacy. 60 crossbred (Holstein Friesian x zebu) lactating cows of 31 smallholder farms were studied to evaluate the effectiveness of UMB during dry (November to April) and rainy season (May to October). Cows were stall-fed and reared mainly on rice straw. Cows of one group received basal diet kept as control (-UMB) and another group received UMB as supplemented group (+UMB) in both seasons. Intake of straw was increased significantly (p<0.05) in supplemented cows of both in dry and rainy season as 1.2 and 0.77 kg/day, respectively. Other nutrients - DM, CP, ME intake was also increased. It was found that milk production in supplemented cows maintained higher magnitude as 1.54 kg/d and 0.73 kg/d in both dry and rainy seasons, respectively. Higher body weight gain of cows was found in dry season (135 g/d) than in rainy season (50 g/d). Similarly, weight gain of calves of supplemented cows was increased significantly (p<0.01). Interval from calving to first estrus was reduced by 31 (166 vs. 135) and 19 (157 vs. 138) days in dry and rainy season, respectively (p>0.05). This result indicates that UMB supplementation is more beneficial to the farmers in dry season.