Response To Nutritional Supplement In Unweaned Calves In Double Purpose System In The North Of Cesar

Abstract

This project was carried out at the “Moravia” farm, located in Valledupar, Colombia. The purpose was to assess the nutritional supplement’s effects on the weight gain of unweaned calves. Eighteen (18) double purpose calves from various crossbreeds were distributed at random in two treatments and nine experimental units per treatment. The experimental treatment consisted of supplying a nutritional supplement made of cotton-seed (85%); ground carob bean fruits (10%); palm cake (4,5%); 6%-phosphorus mineralized salt (0;5%) and the traditional shepherding. The nutritional supplement was 600 gm/animal/day. On the other hand, the control treatment consisted on the traditional management of the area, that is, the animals were not given any nutritional supplement and they were put under the traditional shepherding. The calves were weighed every twenty eight (28) days during a period of one hundred and twelve (112) days. The nutritional supplement supplied with a concentration of 20,3% of PC (Spanish initials for Raw Protein); 40,8% of FDN (Spanish initials for Neutral Detergent Fiber) and 25,3% of FDA (Spanish initials for Acid Detergent Fiber) showed consumption averages ranging from 200,20 gm/animal/day up to 302,47 gm/animal/day. No significant differences were found (p>0,05) between said treatments as per the weight gain variable. However, the supplemented calves got higher weight gains (26,1%) with 400,5 gm/animal/day in relation to the control group with gains of 317,6 gm/animal/day. Finally, the financial analysis showed a negative net income of the nutritional supplement calves (-Col. $30,32 calf/day) compared to the control group calves