Male kids and lambs response to supplementation under intensive system of management

Thirty each of growing male kids and ram lambs were stall fed ad libitum on fresh, hand chopped Napier Bajra-21 (NB-21) and supplemented with either concentrates (Maize grain (MG) + deoiled groundnut cake (GNC) alone (T-1) or along with groundnut haulms (T-2), dried leaf meal of Leucaena leucocephala (T-3), Sesbania grandiflora (T-4), Gliricidia maculata (T-5) or Ficus bengalensis (T-6) to meet 30% of DM requirements. The effect of supplementation on rumen fermentation pattern, digestibility of nutrients and growth performance was studied in two parallel growth trials (180 days). The concentration of rumen metabolites except total N was higher (P<0.01) in rams than in bucks across treatments and among the treatments, T-1 or T-4 sustained higher (P<0.01) concentration of rumen metabolites. Nutrient digestibility except CP was higher (P<0.01) in kids than in lambs while among treatments, the digestibility of OM, CF, ADF and cellulose was comparable.The digestibility of CP and NDF was lower (P<0.05) in T-6 than in other treatments. The nitrogen retention (g/d) and % of intake or absorbed in lambs was higher (P<0.05) in kids than in lambs and among treatments, higher (P<0.01) nitrogen retention was observed in T-3 or T-4 fed animals. The ADG was less (P<0.01) and the EFU was inferior (P<0.01) in kids than in lambs due to lower (P<0.01) DMI from NB21, and roughage supplements. Among treatments, the ADG was comparable while the EFU was superior (P<0.01) in animals fed T-3, T-4 or T-5 than in T-2 or T-6. Supplementation with legume tree leaves (T-3 to T-5) was beneficial for economic and sustainable production of ram lambs whereas, intensive system of management was not successful with kids due to low DMI from basal roughage and roughage supplements.