Feeding Plane and Mineral Status of Murrah Buffaloes in Bhiwani District of Haryana State

Feeding plane and mineral status of buffaloes in Bhiwani district of Haryana state was assessed through extensive survey. Ten representative villages, representing the whole district were selected and a minimum of ten buffaloes from each site were randomly chosen for sampling of blood, milk, hair, feeds, fodders and drinking water offered to animals. Records of body weight, feed intake, milk yield, disease prevalence, etc. were collected from 114 buffaloes. The samples collected were processed and analysed for Ca, P, Zn, Cu, Fe and Mn. Average values of DM, CP and TDN intake in milch animals were 2.52±0.035% of body weight, 1.44±0.046 and 7.88±0.19 kg/animal, respectively. The corresponding values in heifers were 2.01% of live weight, 0.62 and 4.02 kg/animal. The TDN intake was higher (+15.5%), while that of CP was lower (−2.8%) than their corresponding requirements. About 17% of milch buffaloes and 25% of the heifers received less Ca through diet, but 95% of heifers received less P than their requirement. The serum mineral concentration revealed that 35.2, 5.6 and 36.6% of the milch animals had Ca, P and Cu concentration below their respective lower critical levels. About 26.4, 95.8, 75 and 97.2% of the buffaloes showed concentration of Ca, Zn, Cu and Mn, in hair below their critical levels. Composition of milk also reflected deficiency of Ca (66.7%), Zn (88.9%) and Cu (28.9%). The present study revealed that supplementation of 0.9 g Ca, 8 mg Zn, 3 mg Cu and 5 mg Mn/kg diet would meet the requirement of animals in Bhiwani district of Haryana. Heifers not receiving concentrate should be supplemented with additional 0.5 g P/kg diet or 300 g wheat or rice bran.