Indian Journal of Animal Nutrition

Four types of urea molasses mineral lick blocks were formulated using molasses, urea, CaO, DCP, H₃PO₄, trace minerals, common salt, guar gum, deoiled rice bran or wheat bran and mustard cake or sunflower cake at 55, 8, 4, 1, 1, 1, 1, 2, 17, and 10% levels, respectively. The treatments T₁ (DRB-MC), T2 (DRB-SC), T3 (WB-MC) and T4 (WB-SC) were allocated randomly to Murrah buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) in a 4×4 Latin Square Switch over design. The animals were fed ad lib wheat straw and UMMB. Metabolism trials were conducted on all the animals keeping 21 days preliminary feeding followed by 7days collection period. Peripheral blood samples were collected once daily over terminal three days to obtain mean values for each group. Samples were also obtained from one non-fistulated animal fed conventionally. The daily DM intake through wheat straw (kg/d) was significantly (P<0.05) higher in treatments T₁ (6.525), T₃ (6.510) and T₄ (6.588) than T₂ (5.562), however, the intake through UMMB (kg/d) was higher in T₂ (2.240) followed byT₃ (2.134), T₁ (2.041) and T₄ (1.715) with non-significant (P<0.05) difference. The nitrogen balance (g/d) was maximum in T₃ (31.07±8.07) followed by T₂ (28.89±7.57), T₁ (27.70±9.50) and T₄ (26.04±7.09) with non-significant (P<0.05) differences. Blood glucose levels were within the normal range for all adult ruminants, however, the values were slightly higher on diets T₂ (51.87 mg/dl) and T₃ (54.23 mg/dl) compared to control diet (C; 45.00mg/dl). Activities of SGOT and SGPT were comparatively lower in the steers kept on T₄. The WBC counts in T₁ and T₂ were comparable to control, but marginally higher in T₃ and T₄. Platelets count and hemoglobin concentrations remained in the normal range, as did RBCs, Hb, PCV, MCV, MCH and MCHC, indicating normal erythropoiesis. In conclusionad lib feeding of UMMB does not have any adverse effect on hematological and biochemical parameters in buffaloes.