Effect of feeding varying levels of banana peelings supplemented with maize bran, cotton seed cake and Gliricidia sepium on the performance of lactating dairy cows

Potential of banana peelings (BP) as animal feed for lactating dairy cows was evaluated. The cows were fed BP at 0, 20, 40 and 60% levels of their daily ration. The diets were supplemented with maize bran, cottonseed cake and Gliricidia Sepium to make them iso-nitrogenous. Four multi-parous cows were allotted to each of the four dietary treatments in a 4×4 Latin square design. Dry matter intake on diets with 40 and 60% BP were similar and higher (P < 0.05) than those on diets with 0 and 20% BP. Daily live weight changes did not differ between treatments. Daily milk yields ranged from 10.2 to 11.4 kg, with no significant differences between diets. Milk fat yields were 4.80, 5.54, 3.63 and 3.58% on diets with 0, 20, 40 and 60% BP, respectively; being lower on diets with higher BP levels (P < 0.05) while the other milk components were not affected by the treatments. Blood potassium reduced at the 60% BP level while phosphorus was higher and similar at the 20, 40 and 60% BP levels. Non-esterified fatty acids were lower at the 40 and 60% BP feeding levels. It is concluded that banana peelings can support moderate milk yields when accompanied with strategic supplementation.