Supplementation of native grass hay with cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) hay, wilted leucaena (Leucaena leucocephala) forage, wilted tagasaste (Chamaecytisus palmensis) forage or a wheat middling for young Friesian x Zebu (Boran) crossbred steers

Abstract

A 100-day experiment of a randomized block design was conducted with forty Friesian x Zebu (Boran) crossbred growing steers to compare the value of wheat middling, an agro-industrial by-product (diet W), cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) hay (diet C), and wilted forages of leucaena (Leucaena leucocephala, diet L) and tagasaste (Chamaecytisus palmensis, diet T) as cattle feed. These feeds were fed daily at a level of 1.5 kg (on an air dry basis) to supplement the basal diet (diet H) of native hay. A mineral supplement containing 50 g bone meal and 10 g common salt was also given daily. The steers were group-fed, but during the last two weeks at the end of the experiment the animals were housed individually in feeding pens to estimate the feed intake and apparent digestibilities of the diets. The animals were weighed at the beginning of the experiment, thereafter every two weeks, and finally at the end of the experiment. The animals consumed all the offered supplements, except for tagasaste forage, of which one third remained unconsumed. The mean daily total dry matter intake during the individual feeding period ranged from 4.0 to 5.0 kg between the diets (P