2006•Indian Journal of Small Ruminants (The)Requires access
Nutritional evaluation of mulberry (Morus alba L.) green leaves in sheep and goats.
S.C. Kantwa, Lokesh Gupta, B. P. Singh, S. P. Tailor
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Abstract
An experiment was conducted on five each of Sonadi x Corriedale sheep (18.5–23.4 kg) and Sirohi goats (19.5–24.8 kg). The animals were fed mulberry green leaves ad lib. Mulberry green leaves contained 88% OM, 15.20%CP, 9.85% CF, 7.10% EE, 55.85% NFE and 12.00% Ash with an average DM content of 32.38% in fresh leaves. The differences for OM, CP, EE and NFE digestibility in sheep and goats were non-significant. However, the DM and CF digestibility was significantly (P<0.01) higher in goats than in sheep. The values of DCP, TDN, DE and ME for mulberry green leaves in sheep and goats were 12.16 and 12.28, 61.34 and 63.48 per cent, 2.71 and 2.80 and 2.18 and 2.26 Mcal/kg, respectively. The dry matter intake in goat was significantly (P<0.01) higher than in sheep. Average daily gain (ADG) was higher in goats (42.40 g) as compared to sheep (30.80g) but the difference was non-significant among the species. It may be concluded that the utilization of mulberry green leaves by sheep and goats was adequate to meet their requirement, but supplement of mulberry green leaves with concentrate may result in optimum growth rate in sheep and goats.