Open AccessFEEDLOT PERFORMANCE AND CARCASS CHARACTERISTICS OF ZEBU CATTLE IN THE MALI SAHEL ZONE II. EFFECT OF UTILIZATION OF SUGARCANE TOPS (Saccharum officinarum) AS BASAL DIET
Author(s) -
E.A. Adebowale,
S. Legel,
K Dobel
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
nigerian journal of animal production
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 0331-2062
DOI - 10.51791/njap.v13i.2390
Subject(s) - zebu , feedlot , feed conversion ratio , biology , hectare , zoology , agronomy , saccharum officinarum , dry season , tropics , weight gain , body weight , ecology , agriculture , endocrinology
A feeding trial to evaluate the performance of finishing steers fed mainly on sugarcane tops with or without cottonseed and molasses was conducted in Niono, Mali during the dry season. 96 Zebu steers, weighing between 220 and 250kg were randomly alloted to four groups of twenty-four steers each The performance parameters compared were: feed intake, rate of gain, feed conversion and carcass characteristics. The differences observed for feed intake, rate of gain and feed conversion appear to be more related to roughage level rather than source. There were no nutritional disorders. Results from this initial feeding trial indicate that a sugarcane — derived feedstaffs can be used to constitute a major component of finishing steer rations particularly in the dry areas of the tropics where sugarcane tops are regarded as wastes.