Impact of Herbal Feed Supplements and Sodium Sulphate on the Nutrient Utilization and Growth Performance of Indigenous Dairy Cattle Calves

The present study is aimed to evaluate the effects of herbal feed additives and sodium sulphate on nutrient utilization and growth performance in growing Sahiwal cattle calves. A total of twenty calves were randomly assigned to four groups: The control group (C) received no feed additives, while Group T1 was supplemented with herbal feed additives, Foeniculum vulgare seeds, and Terminalia chebula fruits, @ 1% of DMI (1:1 ratio both). Group T2 was provided with Na₂SO₄ at 0.5% of DMI, and Group T3 received both herbal feed additives and sodium sulfate at the same rates, respectively. The basal diet offered to experimental groups consists of 50% concentrate and 50% roughage. The experiment lasted 90 days; during which daily dry matter intake and fortnightly body weight changes were recorded. A digestion trial was conducted over six days at the end of the study to assess nutrient digestibility. The results indicated no significant differences in body weight, average daily gain, feed conversion ratio, or dry matter intake among the groups throughout the study. The initial and final body weights were similar across all groups, and the average daily gain remained consistent. Nutrient digestibility, assessed during the digestion trial, showed higher mean values for various nutrients in supplemented groups; however, these differences were not statistically significant. In conclusion, supplementing herbal feed additives and sodium sulphate did not significantly impact the calves’ growth performance or nutrient digestibility.