Effect of Supplementing Enset Leaf Silage Ensiled with Molasses on Feed Intake, Weight Gain, Digestibility, and Carcass Characteristics of Sheep Fed Guinea Grass Hay
20-yearling male Gumer sheep were used to evaluate the effect of graded level of Enset (Ensete ventricosum) leaf silage treated with molasses on intake, weight gain, digestibility, and carcass characteristics fed a basal diet of Guinea(Megathyrsus maximus) grass hay. In the first phase, both the physical and chemical composition of 5 kg wilted Enset leaf was evaluated at (T1= Enset leaf+0% molasses, T2= Enset leaf +5% molasses, T3= Enset leaf +10% molasses, and T4= Enset leaf +15% molasses). In the second phase, after the selection of T2 from the first phase, a randomized complete block design with four blocks and five animals based on their initial body weight were arranged as 300 g (T1), 450 g (T2), 600 g (T3) and 750 g (T4) as feed basis/day. The period of feeding was 80 days after 14 days of adaptation, and the digestibility trial was carried out for 10 days, and then the carcass characteristics were evaluated for sampled animals from each treatment. Enset leaf silage treated with molasses had 91.00, 89.47, 12.72, 59.41, 35.75, 8.15, and 52.83% for dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber, acid detergent lignin, and in vitro DM digestibility, respectively. The CP and OM intake, daily gain, and feed conversion efficiency were higher for T3 and T4.The digestibility of DM, OM, and CP was significant and high for T2 and T3.The carcass parameter was significant and higher value for T2 and T3.Therefore, this study concludes that feeding ad libitum Guinea grass hay with supplementing up to 300 g/day enest silage provides the optimum result of intake, digestibility, growth, and carcass characteristics of Gumer sheep.
