Nutritive values of some selected unconventional feeds available in Chittagong district of Bangladesh

Abstract

The study was conducted to find out the chemical composition of some selected unconventional feeds to use them as feed for large animals to enhance their productivity as well as to reduce feed cost. Total 11 different types of unconventional feeds like Cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var.botrytis), Radish (Raphanus sativus), Cabbage (Brassica oleracea var capitata), Pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima), Spinach (Spinacea oleracea), Banana flower (Musa sapientum), dhol kolmi (Ipomoea carnea), Ridge guard (Luffa acutangula), Castor bean (Ricinus communis) leaves, Gram husk (Cicer arietinum) and Pea husk (Pisum sativum) available in different areas of Chittagong, Bangladesh were collected, chopped and tested immediately for moisture content. The remaining samples were sun-dried, processed and analyzed for chemical analysis using standard procedure. Results indicated that, all the samples contained substantial amount of crude protein, crude fibre, nitrogen free extracts, ether extracts and ash. It could therefore be inferred that, these feeds could be incorporated in appreciable quantities for substituting the conventional feed resources of animal diet.