Effect of Dietary Supplementation on Physico-mechanical and Chemical Quality of Hide and Leather of Dromedary Camels

Abstract

This study was aimed at evaluating the effect of concentrate supplementation under feedlot condition on intake, weight gain, physico-mechanical and chemical qualities of crust and finished leather of dromedary camels. Fifteen growing Ogaden camels with age range of 24- 30 months and mean bodyweight of 162.8±23.8 kg (Mean±SD) were purchased from Babile camel market and used in a 120 days fattening study. The experiment was run under RCBD where the camels were blocked according to their initial body weight and alloted randomly within the block to three dietary treatments. The experimental feed was urea (5%) treated maize stover (UTMS) basal diet given ad-libitum and a supplement of concentrate mix of  wheat bran(66%), Noug seed (Gizotia abyssinica Cass.) meal (13%), sorghum grain (20%) and mineral-vitamin premix (1%). The supplementary diet was offered to the camels at the rate of 0.5 (D0.5=low level), 1.0 (D1.0=medium level) and 1.5 (D1.5=high level) percent of bodyweight. Levels of supplementation did not affect the chemical and most of the physico-mechanical qualities of the crust and finished leathers. Among the physico-mechanical qualities, tear load perpendicular to the back bone of crust leathers was higher (P<0.05) for the Medium level compared to Low level supplement while arithmetic mean of parallel and perpendicular tear loads was higher (P<0.05) for Medium and High level supplement groups compared to Low level supplement. Similarly, tear resistance of finished leathers was higher (P<0.01) for High level supplement compared to Low and Medium level supplement. In general, the crust and finished leathers produced by the camels in all dietary treatment groups have fulfilled the required standards of the quality parameters set by various leather institutes. It can be concluded that while the present feeding regime did not negatively affect the leather qualities, Medium and high level of supplements resulted in better tear load and tear resistance parameters of the crust and finished leather of dromedary camels