COCOA HUSK-AND SUGARCANE BAGASSE-BASED DIETS AS FEEDLOT FINISHING RATIONS FOR LOCAL BEEF CATTLE

ABSTRACT

separate experiments, each lasting 84 days, were carried out on the University o f Ghana »s Agricultural Research Station, Kpong, The primary objectives o f the study were to: ( i ) Formulate cocoa husk - and sugarcane bagasse - based diets, ( i i ) i'issess the acceptability o f diets to lo cal beef c a ttle , ( i i i ) Determine the e ffe c t o f roughage and protein le v e l ( i f any) on feedlot performance o f the animals (iv ) Find out .the extent to which soaking dried sugarcane bagasse overnight in fresh water would improve consumption o f bagassebased rations (v ) Observe to what extent ( i f any) the addition o f 20 percent yellow com would improve the Total Digestible Nutrient (TDN) values o f cocoa husk - and bagasse-based rations, and (■±i) Formulate a standard finishing ration fo r local beef cattle and compare its e ffic ien cy with that o f cocoa husk - and sugarcane bagasse-based d iets, Paramaters examined were: (1) Chemical composition o f the roughages as well* as the experimental diets, ( 2 ) Ifeed consumption, growth and feed e ffic ieh c y • (3) Health o f the animals during the study, (4) In Vivo d ig e s t ib ility studies on the rations. ( 5 ) Carcass evaluation (in experiment 2) and (6) Feed costs. crossbred Four N*da.ma and one Santa Gertrudis crossed West .African Shorthorn/ bullocks were randomly selected from 16 N’dama and 4 Santa Gertrudis bullocks and assigned to each o f four diets in experiment 1. The diets (A# 3, C and D) represented the treatments o f a 2 i 2 fa c to r ia l experimental design. The factors were the major sources o f roughage and crude protein levels. Diets A and B contained cocoa husk and diets C and D sugarcane bagasse; whilst diets A and C had about 13 percent crude protein and B and D about 17 per cent. Ihe levels o f roughages in the diets were: A, 60.4; B, 47.5; C» 55.4 and D, 46.3 percent. During experiment 2 twenty N'dama. bullocks were randomly allotted into 4 treatments groups with 5 animals in each group. Ihe treatments were the four diets - A , B, C and D; a l l o f which had a crude protein le v e l o f about 17 percent. The major sources o f roughages were; diet A, 50 percent cocoa husk; d iet B, 30 percent cocoa husk and 20 percent sugarcane bagasse; diet C, 48*1 percent bagasse and diet D (standard), 20 percent Panicum maximum hay. 15ie feed fo r the animals in each treatment in both experiments consisted o f a major roughage source, a Protein - Energy - Vitamin - Mineral Supplement (PSVKS), urea and molasses. Water and mineral licks were supplied to the bullocks ad libitum. 'Ehe results o f the study indicated that: ( l ) Both cocoa husk - and sugarcane bagasse-based rations were acceptable to lo cal beef cattle without any detrimental physical or physiological manifestations resulting from the rations* QJie average daily dry matter consumed in experinet 1 was 4.80, 4.04# 2*74 and 2.67kg fo r rations A, B, C and D respectively; while that in experiment 2 was 6,17, 4.44, and 2.51 fo r rations A, B and C respectively. ( 2 ) ftie type o f roughage s ign ifican tly (pZ*0. 0i ) influenced dry matter consumption and hence feedlot performance o f the bullocks. The cocoa husk-based rations were more consumed, e ffected more weight gain and were more e ff ic ie n t ly u t ilized than the sugarcane bagasse-based diets. (3) Bie le v e l o f protein in the rations did not have significant e ffe c t on the feedlot performance; indicating that the nitrogen requirement o f the animals was met by the rations. (4) Incorporation of 20-percent yellow com s ignificantly (P^O.OI) improved the TDN value o f the cocoa husk-based rations and hence the feedlot performance o f the bullocks. ( 5) ftie combined e ffe c t of soaking the bagasse in fresh Water overnight and addition o f 20 percent yellow com did not enhance dry matter consumption. The treatment, however, improved the daily liv e - weight gains o f the animals and thus indicated better e fficien cy o f feed u t iliza tion . (6) The standard f i nishing ration formulated from 50 percent yellow com, 20 percent hay, 8 percent molasses, 10 percent wheatbran, 0.8 percent urea and 11.2 percent supplement was the most e ff ic ie n t in terms o f weight gain, feed conversion, fa t formation and feed cost. Ihe other rations were also commendable in terms o f weight gain, feed conversion, fa t formation and feed cost. $he averagQ figures fo r rations A, B, C and D were: Daily liv e weight gain, 0.38, 0.33, 0.12 and 0o68kg; Ifeed conversion, 16.38, 13*39> 20.53 and 7.97; percent kidney fat , 1.94* 2.03» 1.44 and 3*29 and Sfeed cost per kg. weight gain, 5*61, 4.69, 7.81 and 3*08 cedis It is anticipated that with the recommended means o f improvement such as grinding o f sugarcane bagasse and addition o f pure starch to cocoa husk-based diets, rations containing cocoa husk and sugarcane bagasse could serve as feedlot finishing rations fo r lo cal cattle.