Nutritive values of unconventional feeds available in Bandarban district of Bangladesh

Abstract

The study was undertaken during 22nd July to 22nd November, 2012 to find out the chemical composition of different types of unconventional feeds available in Bandarban areas of Bangladesh. Total 08 different types of feeds such as Pumpkin leaf, Bilimbi leaf, Giant reed leaf, Cogon grass, Hilly grass, Shegun leaf, Green coconut peel and Banana tree were collected from study areas. Samples were collected, chopped and tested immediately for moisture content and remaining samples were sun-dried, processed and analyzed for chemical analysis using standard procedure. Chemical analyses of the samples were carried out in triplicate for dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), crude fiber (CF), nitrogen free extract (NFE), ether extract (EE) and total ash (TA) in the animal nutrition laboratory, Chittagong Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Chittagong, Bangladesh. Metabolizable energy (ME) was calculated mathematically for all samples by using standard formula. Crude protein content in pumpkin leaf was 25.0 g/100g, bilimbi leaf 11.9 g/100g, giant reed leaf 8.6 g/100g, cogon grass 8.4 g/100g, hilly grass 6.8 g/100g, shegun leaf 11.9 g/100g, green coconut peel 4.9 g/100g and banana tree 15.6 g/100g. Results indicated that, all samples had substantial amount of proximate components that might have been used as alternative feed resource for dairy cattle. It could therefore, be inferred that, these unconventional feeds might be used as alternative feed resources for dairy animals in scarcity of traditional feeds.