Effect of feeding molasses based multi-nutrient liquid supplement on early lactation performance, intake and nutrient digestibility in crossbred cows

An experiment was conducted to assess the lactation performance and nutrient utilization of early lactating crossbred dairy cows fed with molasses based multi-nutrient liquid supplement (MMLS). A total of eighteen early lactating cows were divided into three groups (T1, T2 and T3) with six cows in each group following completely randomized design on the basis of body weight and milk production. Cows were fed concentrate mixture, green fodder and wheat straw to meet the nutrient requirement. The control group (T1) was fed basal diet without MMLS, whereas treatment groups (T2 and T3) were fed MMLS replacing 15 and 30% concentrate mixture, respectively. Feeding of MMLS did not show any significant change in average intake of dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP) and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) compared to control group. The ether extract (EE) intake of MMLS fed groups (T2 and T3) was lower (P<0.05) due to high EE content of concentrate mixture compared to MMLS. The acid detergent fiber (ADF) intake of T3 was higher (P<0.05) due to higher wheat straw intake. The digestibility of DM, OM, CP, EE, NDF and ADF were noted unchanged among all the three groups. The MMLS feeding did not show any significant change in milk yield of the animals when compared to control group. The findings of current study suggested that there was no adverse effect on intake and digestibility of nutrients and lactation performance due to feeding of MMLS to dairy cows while replacing up to 30% of concentrate mixture in diet. * Corresponding author KEYWORDS