Performance of Crossbred Cows Fed on Wheat Straw Based Grainless Diet

Twelve non-pregnant crossbred (Bos indicus x Bos taurus) cows at similar stage of lactation, distributed in three groups of four animals each, were fed on basal diet of wheat straw ad libitum and concentrate mixture.as per their requirements. Maize grain in concentrate mixture of control group (1) was replaced either with 50 (Group 2) or 100% (Group 3) wheat bran. The experimental feeding was continued for a period of 98 days. Intake and digestibility of nutrients did not reveal significant difference among the groups. Balances of TDN and CP for growth and milk production were comparable among the groups. Besides lower feed cost for milk production in crossbred cows fed grainless diet, it would spare about 400kg of cereal grain during a lactation cycle. Results indicate that low producing (3kg milk/day) animals can easily be sustained on grainless concentrate mixture without any adverse effect on their health and nutritional status.