Cost of Feeding Formaldehyde Treated Groundnut Cake to Growing Crossbred Heifers

Effect of feeding formaldehyde (FA) treated (@ 0.5 g FA/100 g CP and 1.0 g FA/100 g CP) groundnut cake (GNC) in place of untreated GNC on the feed cost was studied in a 150 days long growth trial. Crossbred heifers (18), divided into 3 groups of 6 each, were fed isonitrogenous and isocaloric diets. The control group (T₁) was fed concentrate mixture containing 30% untreated GNC, which was replaced by formaldehyde treated @ 0.5 g FA/100 g CP, and 1.0 g FA/100 g CP groundnut cake in the concentrate mixtures for the treatment groups T₂ and T ₃, respectively. Wheat straw was offered ad lib. along with 5 kg green berseem. The average daily DM, CP and TDN intake over the whole experimental period did not reveal any differences among the groups. The average daily body weight gain (g/d) over the whole period in groups T₁, T₂ and T ₃ was 447.83 ± 17.99, 480.17 ± 33.55 and 556.67 ± 28.18 and the variation among groups was significant (P<0.01). The CP required (kg) to achieve unit body weight gain was significantly (P<0.05) higher in group T₁ (1.14 ± 0.14) than in groups T₂ (1.03 ± 0.11) and T₃ (0.92 ± 0.09), indicating significantly better feed conversion efficiency in experimental groups. Thus, it may be inferred that the feeding of protected protein in the form of formaldehyde treated (@ 1.0 g FA/100 g CP) groundnut cake is economical to raise the crossbred heifers.