Abstract

A survey was conducted to study the feeding practices followed by farmers and to evaluate the chemical composition of locally available feedstuffs use for dairy animals in Mahaboobnagar district. Four villages were selected for the survey that truly represented the animal husbandry practices of the district. Paddy straw was fed to all animals by all farmers and few farmers fed sorghum or maize stovers along with paddy straw. Sorghum (SSG-59-3) was the preferred green (42-52.5%) followed by para grass (10-35%) and hybrid napier (10-25%). Feeding concentrates mixture was followed by few farmers and restricted to productive animals only. Rice bran (57.5-70%) was the most preferred concentrate ingredient followed by cotton seed. On an average the CP, EE, CF and NFE % in paddy straw in surveyed villages ranged from 3.14 to 3.91, 1.40 to 1.47, 35.31 to 36.30 and 46.05 to 46.72%, respectively and the same varied from 3.22 to 4.52, 0.98 to 1.43, 33.76 to 40.69 and 45.69 to 50.83, respectively in jowar and maize stovers. In case of non-leguminous green fodders (sorghum, para grass and hybrid napier), the CP, EE, CF and NFE were in range of 5.40-10.74, 1.55-3.07, 25.69-38.65 and 43.69-50.03%, respectively. The CP content of grazing grass varied among villages from 5.66 to 8.57. Among the concentrates, the CP, EE and NDF was 14.27-15.96, 14.68-15.82, 40.68-43.24% in rice bran, 15.96,4.63, 43.80% in wheat bran and 9.12-9.41, 2.06-2.65, 17.24-18.59% in maize grain, 23.87, 1.12, 36.4% in horse gram, 12.31-16.49, 10.36-12.27, 38.69-42.29% in homemade concentrates and 17.15-18.80, 1.48-2.06, 42.14-45.03% in compounded cattle feeds respectively.

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