Supplementary feeding increases live weight gain of angoni cattle during the dry season in mozambique

Rangelands form the basic feed resource for livestock in Mozambique. However, the decline in the nutritive value of natural pastures during the dry season accentuates body weight losses resulting in delayed puberty, high mortality and low reproductive performance. Alternative strategies for supplementing Angoni cattle, native to Tete Province, grazing low-quality rangeland during the dry season are discussed. Treatments were (1) control (rangeland alone); (2) rangeland + hay harvested at 25% flowering stage offered in kraal; (3) Gliricidia sepium (GS; 200 g animal-1) +2 kg of rangeland hay animal-1; (4) Amoreira alba (AA; 200 g animal-1) +2 kg of rangeland hay animal-1; (4) Leucaena pallyda (LP; 200 g animal-1) +2 kg of rangeland hay animal-1; and (5) ad libitum mineral block alone with the following composition: 29% salt; 13% sugar, 13% maize bran, 45% industrial cement. Results showed that animals fed on rangeland alone had an average daily gain (ADG) of 92.6 g, compared to 204 g when supplemented with 2 kg of hay during the night, 206 g for animals supplemented with ad libitum mineral block, 280g, 300 g and 400 g respectively with AA, GS and LP. It was concluded that supplementary feeding contributed (P=0.0001) to weight gain of Angoni cattle during the dry season.

Supplementary feeding increases live weight gain of angoni cattle during the dry season in mozambique Academic Article