A trial was conducted to study the effect of factory tea (Camellia assamica) waste on the performance of local kids. Fifteen kids (4 m old of 6.56 ± 0.24 kg BW) were divided into three equal groups and offered either control diets (T1) containing wheat bran as major cereal by-product or wheat bran in T1 diet was replaced by tea waste at 25% (T2) or 50% (T3). Green chaffed para grass (Brachiaria mutica) was fed ad lib as a sole roughage to all animals. The replacement of wheat bran by tea waste had no effect on voluntary DM intake and digestibility of DM, EE and that of NFE. However, the digestibility of OM, CP and CF, N retained as percent of intake and daily live weight gain were depressed significantly in group where 50% wheat bran was replaced with tea waste as compared to 25% replacement group. Feed conversion efficiency was similar among all the groups. It was concluded that tea waste can be fed to the growing kids replacing 25% of wheat bran in the concentrate mixture.
Tea waste, Nutrient utilization, Body weight gain, Kids
