Response of selected heifer buffalo to feed improvement in Bombana regency, Indonesia

Abstract

Background and Objective: The main constraint on the development of buffalo in Southeast Sulawesi is the poor quality of the feed in the pasture, so growth tends to be slow and there is high mortality. The study aimed to investigate the response of selected heifer buffalo to feed improvement. Materials and Methods: The research was performed using a Completely Randomized Block Design (CRBD). There were 4 treatments based on the type of feed: T 1 (natural grass), T 2 (natural grass+concentrate (1 kg sago hampas+1.5 kg rice bran), T 3 (elephant grass) and T 4 (elephant grass+concentrate). Results: Treatments T 2 and T 4 produced average daily gains (0.502 and 0.574 kg head¯ 1 day¯ 1 ) respectively, significantly higher (p<0.05) than that with feeding on T 1 or T 3 , which produced only 0.338 and 0.427 kg head¯ 1 day¯ 1 , respectively. The addition of concentrate also decreased the value of feed conversion, i.e., those for T 4 and T 2 were only 8.637 and 10.160 kg head¯ 1 day¯ 1 , respectively, significantly lower (p<0.05) than the T 1 and T 3 values of 11.463 and 14.928 kg head¯ 1 day¯ 1 , respectively. Conclusion: The selected heifer buffalo showed a positive response to the feed improvement in the form of high daily gain and low feed conversion.