Nitrogen distribution in the milk and blood of Bunaji (White Fulani) cattle fed broiler-litter-based concentrate diets as supplement to Panicum maximum (Jacq) hay

Abstract

A study was conducted to determine effects of feeding autoclaved-broiler-litter-based concentrate diet (ABL) at 20, 40 and 60 per cent level of inclusion on the distribution of milk nitrogen and blood nitrogen fractions of Bunaji cattle fed guinea grass hay ad libitum. Nine lactating Bunaji cows (238.2 1 7.88 kg initial BW) in a 3 W 3 latin square design consumed Panicum maximum hay, ad libitum, supplemented with diets A (20 per cent), B (40 per cent), and C (60 per cent) ABL inclusion levels, respectively, in an 84-day experiment. Litter contained 20.32 per cent ash, 18.40 per cent crude protein, and 68.30 per cent neutral detergent fibre (NDF). True protein nitrogen (TPN) varied between 685.7 and 690.3 mg/100 ml milk and this constituted 94.55 and 94.10 per cent of total nitrogen (TN). There were consistent trends forlinear changes in several response parameters due to increased dietary feeding level of ABL. The protein nitrogen (PN) value expressed as the percentage of TN increased for cows fed diets A and C while corresponding values recorded for animals on diets A and B were similar (P>0.05). Non-protein nitrogen (NPN) fractions gave 31.74, 37.82 and 27.92 per cent of non-casein nitrogen (NCN) for diets A, B and C,r espectively, but significant variations were considerable due to advancing lactation. The combined linear effect of crude protein and energy intake contributed significantly (R2 = 87 per cent) to the variation in the total protein content of the milk while TPN varied directly with total nitrogen and NPN (R2 =97 per cent). In conclusion, mixed broiler litter, cassava waste supplement increased the nitrogen content of milk of Bunaji lactating cows with higher TPN and casein nitrogen (CN).


Ghana Jnl agric. Sci. Vol.31(1) 1998: 15-20