Alternative Rations to Maintain High Growth Rate of Bali Bulls Fattened with Leucaena Based Diet in Sumbawa, Eastern Indonesia

Abstract

Alternative rations to maintain high live weigh gain (LWG) of Bali bulls fed leucaena basal diet over season had been studied under eld condition in Sumbawa district of West Nusa Tenggara Province. Twenty four male Bali cattle with an initial age of 17±3 months and initial body weight of 163±36 Kg were used. The animals were randomly allocated into four dietary treatments with six replicates per treatment. The treatments were leucaena solely ad libitum (LS); Leucaena 1.0% BW with native grass ad libitum (LG); Leucaena ad libitum with maize 0.5% BW (LM) and Leucaena 1.0% BW with maize 0.5% and native grass ad libitum (LMG). Native grass consists of grass, weeds and forbs that commonly fed to animal in the area. Live weight gain and feed intake were determined over 20 weeks. Body weight was recorded twice per month. The LWG was not different for bull fed LM (0.62 Kg/d), LS (0.57 Kg/d) and LMG (0.58 Kg/d) however higher than that of bull fed LG (0.48 Kg/d). Bull fed LM had highest total dry matter (DM) intake (28.7 g DM/ Kg LW) and no differences in total DM intake between bull fed LS (26.1 g DM/Kg LW) and LMG (25.8 g DM/Kg LW) while the lowest total DM intake had recorded in bull fed LG (21.0 g DM/ Kg LW). Addition of maize of 0.5% BW in the diet have no negative effect on leucaena intake resulted in an increased on total intake. Feeding leucaena restricted to 1% BW with maize 0.5% BW and grasses ad libitum resulted on similar total intake to LA diet while without maize and grass ad libitum resulted in lower total intake and thus LWG. The proportion of leucaena (50%) in LG diet may be inadequate to have similar response in intake and LWG to LS diet. Leucaena maize, LMG and LG diet can be used as an alternate ration other than leucaena alone to maintain high live weight gain over season under traditional fattening systems in Sumbawa.