GROWTH PERFORMANCE AND NUTRIENT DIGESTIBILITY OF BUNAJI BULLS FED RICE STRAWS TREATED WITH NON PROTEIN NITROGEN IN MUBI ADAMAWA STATE NIGERIA

Abstract

An experiment was conducted to determine the effects of feeding Bunaji bulls using treated rice straws with non -protein nitrogen (urea and poultry litter). Ten Bunaji bulls with an average weight of 175kg were used in a completely randomized design of five treatments replicated two times. Five diets were formulated using rice straw treated with urea at two methods of ensilage (rubber plastic and polyethylene bag) making a total of two diets, similar thing was repeated for poultry litter  which also has two diets and the control diets and/or other ingredients and designated as treatment I (RUERP), II (RUEPB), III (RPERP), IV (RPEPB) & V (control). Data were taken on growth performance and nutrient digestibility. Data obtained were analyzed using SPSS 25.0. Result of the growth performance showed that, daily weight gain, total weight gain, daily feed intake were significantly (P<0.01) affected by among the various treatment.  Total feed intake (P<0.001) and feed conversion ratio (P<0.05) were also significantly affected by the dietary treatments. However, initial live weight and final live weight were not affected. Result of nutrient degistibility showed that ash (P<0.05), crude protein (P<0.01), dry matter, crude fibre, acid detergent fibre, neutral detergent fibre, ether extract and total digestible nitrogen (P<0.001) were significantly different among the dietary treatments. It could be concluded and recommended that; treatment of rice straw with poultry litter ensiled in polyethylene bag greatly improved weight gain of the bulls and it also disrupted the crude fibre of the cell wall of the rice straws, thereby enhanced nutrient digestibility in the straws.