Effect of bioboost supplementation on nutrient utilization and performance in buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) Calves

An experiment was conducted to study the effect of dietary supplementation of bioboost, a commercial product, on nutrient utilization and growth performance in buffalo calves. Ten male buffalo calves (153.6±7.44 kg) were randomly divided into two groups (control and treatment) of five animals each and offered concentrate mixture supplemented without and with bioboost at 1kg/ton of the concentrate mixture with limited berseem fodder and wheat straw ad libitum. The mean body weight gain (g/d) of the animals of the control and treatment groups was 472.89 and 486.67, respectively and was comparable. The supplementation of bioboost had no significant effect on the total DMI and digestibility of DM, CP, EE, CF and NFE. The DCP and TDN per cent of the control and treatment diets were similar. The animals were in positive nitrogen balance and the mean values of the nitrogen retained were also comparable between the two groups. Results revealed to that bioboost at the specified level of supplementation did not show any beneficial effect on nutrient utilization and growth performance in buffalo calves.