Effects of varying supplementation of cassava root meal without or with groundnut cake during growing phase on performance, slaughter and meat quality of finished laisind cattle

Abstract

The objectives of experiment were to determine the effects ofprevious growth rate on carcass characteristics and meat quality of finished Laisind cattle. Twenty-four crossbred Laisind male cattle (50% Red Sindhy and 50% local Yellow), from l8 to 2l months of age, were used in the experiment. Before entering the finishing period, animals were raised under different supplemental regimes, supplemented with 0.3 or l 0 kg cassava root meal (CRM) and without or with 0.7 kg groundnut cake (GNC), and the based diet were urea treated rice straw fed ad libinun and two kg of com silage. The growing period lasted for 98 days, during which cattle fed on the supplemental diet of 0.3 kg CRM without GNC, 1.0 kg CRM without GNC, 0.3 kg CRM and 0.7 kg GNC, and 1.0 kg CRM and 0.7 kg GNC gained 0.28, 0.31, 0.35 and 0.54 kg per day, espectively. The finishing phase lasted 105 day including l4 days adaptation. All animals received concentrate at 1.5 percent of body weight (BW) and urea treated rice straw (URTRS) ad libitum until slaughter (around 310 kg BW). Levels of concentrate offered were adjusted every two weeks according to BW. All cattle wcre slaughtered after finishing to asses carcass and meat quality. Cattle offered high level of CRM and GNC during growing phase had lowest LWG, but had highest FCR, carcass weight, trimmed fat, sealable meat and intramuscular fat compared to the rest. There was no economic benefit as incrcased amounts of supplemental feeds during growing period, when feed prices were accounted for both the growing and finishing phases.