Feeding Urea Through Surface Licking in the Growing Buffalo (Bos bubalis) Calves

Abstract

Kaur, S. and Kakkar, V.K. 1995. Feeding urea through surface licking in the growing buffalo (Bos bubalis) calves. J. Appl. Anim Res., 8: 129–136

A new device, called portable feeder with revolving surface, for the gradual intake of urea-molasses mixture, was compared with urea-molasses-mineral block (uromin-lick) and urea containing concentrate mixture in Murrah buffalo calves. The different groups of calves were offered urea (1.5%)-containing concentrate mixture @ 2.5 kg/head/day along with 2.5 kg wheat straw (T₁), whereas in T₂ and T₃ only 1.0 kg concentrate mixture and 3.5 kg wheat straw were offered besides ad libitum urea-molasses-liquid supplement (UMLS) and urea-molasses-mineral block (uromin-lick), respectively. Body weight gains over a period of 182 days were 516, 407 and 297g/head/day in the three groups respectively. Only DCP digestibility was significantly (P<0.05) higher in T₁ as compared to that in T₃. The results revealed that uromin lick can serve as a scarcity/famine ration when offered along with low grade roughages; while UMLS together with some concentrate mixture and low grade roughage can support a growth rate of about 400 g/d in buffalo calves.

Key words:

• Urea
• molasses
• surface licking
• buffalo calves