Effect of Urea Molasses Mineral Block Supplementation on Milk Production of Cows (Bos indicus) in Mid Hills of Uttarakhand Sahoo B.*, Vishwanath C. Bhushan, Kwatra J., Agarwal A. Agricultural Research Station & Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Majhera G.B. Pant University of Agriculture & Technology, Pantnagar-263 135, India. *Reprint request: Dr. B. Sahoo, E-mail: biswanath_72@yahoo.co.in
Abstract An on farm trial was conducted in hills of Uttarakhand to assess the effect of urea molasses mineral block (UMMB) supplementation on productive performance of lactating cows. Ten crossbred cows (Bos indicus) were divided into two groups (T1 and T2) consisting 5 animals each. Animals were fed on homemade concentrate mixture and grass hay. The animals in group T2 were additionally supplemented with UMMB of around 300 g/day/animal. DM intake, milk yield, milk composition were recorded at fortnight intervals in a 3 month lactation trial. A digestibility trial of 7 days was conducted at the end of the lactation trial. Daily DM intake through concentrate (kg/d) was significantly lower (P<0.05) in T2 (0.63) than T1 (0.87) with concomitant increase (P<0.05) in roughage intake (8.35 vs 7.58 kg/d). The total DM intake (kg/d) was significantly higher (P<0.05) by 10.1% in UMMB supplemented group (T2) than control (9.30 vs 8.45). The digestibility of organic nutrients viz. DM, OM, CP, EE, CF and total carbohydrates were higher (P<0.05) in T2 indicating improvement in bioavailability of nutrients which was reflected in improvement in production performance. Milk yield, FCM yield and milk composition were significantly increased (P<0.05) in T2 compared to the control T1. The total income, net return over feed cost along with feed efficiency was better in animals of group T2. It was concluded that UMMB supplementation economically improved the feed efficiency and milk production of lactating cows in hilly region of Uttarakhand. Top Keywords Urea molasses mineral block, Nutrient utilization, Cow, Milk, Hills. Top |