Performance of magra lambs fed mustard straw based complete feed in mash and block forms

A growth trial was conducted on eight Magra Iambs divided in two equal groups, the animals were offered complete feed (mustard straw 60, groundnut cake 15, barley 5, deoiled rice bran 5, guar korma 12, mineral mixture 2 and common salt 1%) either in mash or block form for 120 days. The complete feed blocks of 2 kg each were prepared using a block making machine at 4000 psi. The intake of DCP and TDN was significantly (P<0.05) higher in complete feed block than that of mash form mainly due to significantly high DM intake in complete feed block group. Densification of material into complete feed did not reveal any significant effect on the digestibility of nutrients, nutritive value, Ca and P retention. The nitrogen retention and daily body weight gain was significantly (P<0.01) higher in block fed lambs. The results indicated that densification of feed into blocks increased feed intake and daily live weight gain in lambs.