Effect of feeding formaldehyde treated groundnut cake on dry matter intake, digestibility of nutrients and body measurements in crossbred heifers.

Eighteen crossbred heifers were divided into 3 groups of 6 heifers each as uniformly as possible with regard to their age and body weight and maintained on 3 respective isonitrogenous and isocaloric rations. Each animal in all the groups were fed standard ration, comprising 5 kg green berseem (Trifolium alexandrinum) and wheat (Triticum aestivum) straw ad lib. and in treatment T1 heifers were given untreated GNC, while in treatment T2 and T3 formaldehyde (FA) treated @ 0.5 g FA/100 g CP and FA treated @ 1.0 g FA/100 g CP, respectively, as a source of protein in the concentrate mixtures as per their requirements. The crude protein (CP) intake per 100 kg body weight was significantly (P<0.05) higher in T1 as compared to T3 group. The voluntary water intake (VWI) and total water intake (TWI) were significantly (P<0.05) influenced by the treatments. The differences in digestibility coefficient for dry matter (DM), organic matter(OM), crude protein (CP), crude fibre (CF) and nitrogen free extract (NFE) except ether extract (EE) were non significant among different groups. However, ether extract (EE) digestibility was significantly (P<0.05) higher in T3 than T1 group, but at par for T3 and T2 and T1 and T2. Body measurement parameters were significantly (P<0.05) higher in T3 group as compared to T2 and T1 except height in crossbred heifers.