Effects of Feeding Milled Sorghum Stover in a Conven tional Concentrate Diet on Performance of Western Sudan Baggara Cattle

Abstract

Twenty four mature Western Sudan Baggara bulls (364.5± 4.7 SE) 
were divided into four similar groups of six animals each and employed 
in a feeding trial that lasted for eight weeks. The groups were allotted at 
random to one of four diets contained 0, 25, 35 or 45% milled sorghum 
stover (MSS) incorporated in a conventional concentrate diet (CCD) 
based on sorghum grain and cottonseed cake. All diets contained 1% 
NaCl. The average daily dry matter intakes, liveweight gains (kg) and 
feed conversion ratios for the four groups were 10.4, 1.4, 7.4; 11.0, 
1.5, 8.0; 10.7, 1.4, 7.6 and 11.8, 1.4, 7.9, respectively. All 
performance parameters were not affected ( p>0.05) by dietary 
treatments. 
Digestion coefficient of dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM) and 
crude protein (CP) as determined by sheep were significantly lower 
(P<0.05) for diets contained MSS than for the zero MSS diet. 
Digestion coefficient of acid detergent fibre (ADF) was not affected 
(P>0.05) by treatments. The estimated DM, OM, CP digestion 
coefficient and total digestible nutrients percentage kTDN%) of MSS 
alone were 47.2, 43.6, 28.3 and 49.1%, respectively.