Least Cost Production and Evaluation of Multi-Nutrient Block for Lactating Crossbred Dairy cows Fed on a Basal Diet of Oats Straw

Abstract

The activity was initiated with major objective to replace cost inducing agro-industrial byproducts in the conventionally recommended urea-molasses multi-nutrient block (UMMB) with locally available cheap feed resources. Economic analysis was conducted to know cost of  production of the blocks and the cost-benefits incurred in supplementing the control and the various treatment blocks to lactating  crossbred cows fed on a basal diet of oats straw. Replacing cement with lime as a binding agent on partial or complete bases (W/W) did  not maintain block physical hardness and consistency. On the other hand, partial (50%) replacement of cement by clay soil as a binding  agent worked out very well. Partial replacement (W/W) of the crude protein (CP) in the control block by CP obtained from locally available,  cheaper conventional and non-conventional sources resulted to decreased CP concentrations in the treatment blocks  compared to control blocks. Production cost/kg of the UMMB indicated that the newly manufactured blocks have better comparative advantages over the control block. Feed intake was highly variable; however, there is no noticeable change (P>0.05) between the control  and the new blocks for daily total dry matter and basal feed intake. The daily amount of block and CP intake was lower for cows supplemented with a poultry litter based block. Daily milk production was also similar among all the cows except those supplemented  with a poultry litter based UMMB that produced inferior milk compared to control cows. Furthermore, cost-benefit analysis indicated that  there was in general little or no difference in daily profit obtained from cows on the control and treatment blocks. It is hence,  recommended that partial replacement (W/W) of the costly agro-industrial byproducts with locally available/produced feed resources  and binding agents pay off without a compromise in the daily performance of lactating crossbred cows.