Effect of Concentrate Mixture Containing Varying Levels of Crude Protein on Growth Performance, Serum Biochemical Profile of Punganur Calves

To arrive the optimum CP content of concentrate mixture for Punganur calves based on their growth performance, nutrient digestibility and serum biochemical profile, a study was conducted in a completely randomized design using fifteen growing Punganur calves of 3-4 months of age with average body weight of 29.72±2.96 kg which were fed on Super napier grass ad libitum supplemented with concentrate mixture containing 14 (T1), 16 (T2) and 18% (T3) CP at 1% of live weight. The experiment lasted for 90 days. The total weight gain (kg); 20.80, 20.76 and 21.17 and average daily gain (g) 233.71, 233.26 and 237.95 in T1, T2 and T3, respectively were comparable among different treatments. There was no significant difference in total DMI (g), DMI/kg gain,nutrient digestibility, serum biochemical constituents among the treatment groups. The results of the current study indicated that the concentrate mixture with 14% CP on Super Napier based diet was optimum for Punganur calves.