Effect of Frequency of Urea Ingestion on Nutrient Utilization on Straw Based Diet in Buffaloes

Nine mature male buffaloes (2-3 yrs; 338-423 kg) were randomly divided into 3 equal groups and were fed once daily on concentrate mixture (Gp 1) or either once or twice daily with reduced quantity of concentrate mixture supplemented with wrea (Gps 2 and 3). The DM intake in the three groups was similar. Supplementation of urea significantly (P<0.01) improved the digestibilities of CP, CF and EE but improvement due to twice urea feeding was uncertain. N retention was significantly (P<0.1) higher in urea supplemented groups than control. Despite lower intake of concentrate mixture in Gps 2 and 3, the average intake of digestible nutrient was not significantly different than Gp¹, Average growth rate of animals in 3 groups was statistically comparable.