Utilization of rice and soybean straws as the only source of roughage for calves after weaning

Abstract

Forty calves, ten months of age with an average weight of 150 kg, were used in a randomized block design to compare the feeding value of rice and soybean straws. The experiment was conducted at the Estação Experimental de Uberaba and covered a period of 84 days. The two rations tested were: 70% of either rice or soybean straw plus 12% wheat bran, 10% cottonseed meal and 8% ground corn. The average daily live-weight gains per calf during the experiment were 0.463 kg for those receiving rice straw as the roughage and 0.322 kg for those receiving soybean straw. The feed efficiencies were 10.8 and 14.1, respectively, for rice straw and soybean straw.