Comparative intake and nutrient digestibility of guar (Cyanopsis tetragonaloba) straw by sheep and goats

The study evaluated guar (Cynopsis tetragonaloba) straw feeding in sheep and goat in terms of intake and nutrient digestibility. Six each of Sonadi sheep and Devgarhi goats were maintained under similar housing and management facilities. Guar straw was offered as sole feed during 800 to 1600 h throughout the experimental period of 50 days. The guar straw contained 12.4% crude protein and 30.5% crude fibre. The digestibility of dry matter and organic matter were similar in both the groups. Crude protein digestibility was lower (P<O.O 1) in sheep (71.4%) than goats (74.0%) while the crude fibre digestibility was higher in sheep (74.2%) than the goats (71.4%). Moreover the digestibility of ether extract and nitrogen free extract were higher in goats than sheep. The digestible crude protein value of guar straw was 9.08% in goats and 8.86% in sheep whereas total digestible nutrients values were 71.9% in goat and 70.9% in sheep. It is concluded from the study that goat utilized guar straw better than sheep.