Effect of Feeding Maize (Zea mays) Husk and Cob Based Complete Feed Block on Feed Intake, Nutrient Utilization and Growth in Mandya Sheep

The present study was conducted to compare the conventional finger millet (Eleucine coracana) straw based complete feed block (CFB) with maize (Zea mays) husk and cob based complete feed block on the growth performance of lambs. Twenty Mandya/Bannur lambs of about 4 to 6 months of age with body weight ranging from 8 to 14 kg were divided into two groups of ten each in a completely randomized design. The CFB with finger millet straw was fed to group T₁ and maize husk and cob was fed in group T₂. A six days digestion trial was conducted at the end of the experiment. Maize husk and cob was comparable with finger millet straw except for lower CP (2.82 vs. 5.98). Cumulative gas (mL/200 mg DM/24 h) production and energy density (ME MJ/kg DM) was higher in maize husk and cob as compared to finger millet straw (35.83 vs. 32.66; 7.23 vs. 6.99). There was no significant difference in DMI between the groups. A significant difference was observed in OM, NDF and ADF intake between the groups. The ADG (g) and FCR (g DMI/g body weight gain) were also similar in both the groups. The digestibility of nutrients was comparable between the groups. It could be concluded that the maize husk and cob can be utilized as a roughage component of complete feed block for feeding small ruminants under intensive production system.