Milk Yield and Composition of Grazing White Fulani Cows Fed Poultry Waste-Cassava Peel Based Diets

Abstract

The influence of supplementation of poultry waste-cassava peel based diets on milk yield and composition of White Fulani (Bunaji) cows were evaluated in this study. Four cows in 2nd parity and mid-lactation stage were fed 4 concentrate diets (A, B, C, D) consecutively in a 4x4 latin square arrangement. The diets were formulated from poultry waste, cassava peel, palm kernel cake, molasses, bone meal and common salt. The percent compositions of dried poultry waste (DPW) and cassava peel in the diets were 0, 56.5; 10, 53.5; 20, 43.5 and 30, 33.5 %, respectively. Each animal received each diet for 24 days. Daily feed intake (g/d), average daily gain (g/d), milk yield (g/d) and composition (%), feed conversion ratio (FCR) and fat – corrected milk (FCM) were determined for each cow per dietary regime. FCM (kg) however, differed among treatments with diets A (0.21) and B (0.24) having similar P>0.05 but higher FCM yields than diets C (0.07) or D (0.13). Milk protein (Nx6.38), butterfat (BF), total solids (TS), lactose, solids-not-fat (SNF), ash and energy contents of milk did not vary (P>0.05) significantly. Feed conversion ratio was 0.70 for diet B and this value was superior (P< 0.05) to the corresponding values obtained for diets A (0.91), C (2.45) and D (1.56). The relationships between TS and energy (r = 0.54) and BF and energy (r = 0.98) were positive and significant (P< 0.05). Non-significant (P>0.05) negative correlation existed between milk yield and TS (r = - 0.02), milk yield and BF (r = -0.04), and milk yield and milk protein (r = -0.23). Milk yield was generally poor probably due to low level of supplementation.