G V Wide
Agricultural Development Marketing Corporation Blantyre, Malawi
Abstract
Introduction
Appendix 1
The paper gives brief background information on the siting of the Feedlot in Shire Valley where the supply of the various by-products used in the formulation of the feeds are within easy access. Molasses, bagasse, cottonseed husks, cotton seed cake, whole cottonseed, rice husks, wheat offals and hominy chop (maize germ and bran meal) are used successfully.
Combinations of some of the above ingredients are used to produce rations which when fed to local steers aged 18 months to 3 years produce daily liveweight gains approximating 1 kg with a conversion rate of 10:1 over an average feeding period of 95 days. Dressing percentages are on the average 52%, with very good carcass grades. Some dairy formulations are also compounded for sale to other farmers.
This paper is based on the practical utilization of agro-industrial by-products as experienced in the feedlot. The availability of suitable by-products, together with an assured supply of feeders were the main reasons for locating the feedlot in the Shire Valley. At that time, early 1978, there was an ample supply of whole cottonseed from ADMARC 1, Bungula, and molasses and bagasse from SUCOMA 2. With the addition of urea, salt and vitamin A we were able to produce a complete fattening ration at low cost. Unfortunately the supply of whole cottonseed dwindled as more was used for extracting the oil. We therefore had to look at other available feedstuffs to produce equally efficient or better rations at reasonable costs. Over the past eight years we have tried nearly all by-products which are available in quantity in Malawi. Those we have used successfully are reported on below. (Refer to Appendix 1 for the standards used in ration formulation).
1 ADMARC - Agriculture Development Marketing Corporation2 SUCOMA - Sugar Corporation of Malawi
Molasses
A by-product of sugar successfully included at rates of up to 58% of fattening rations. A palatable feed which improves feed intake, especially initially. It also has the advantage of reducing the incidence of laminitis in high energy fattening rations. Can be used in dairy, pig and sheep feeds and liquid and solid maintenance feeds. I mentioned maintenance feeds as the feedlot unit has its own holding grounds where steers are grown out to feeding stage.
Molasses has been fed as a "wheel lick", put in worn out vehicle tyres cut and used as troughs (molasses with urea mixed in a ration of 10:1 by weight). It was found that as the grazing quality deteriorated, supplementation in this form was not enough. We have had far greater success with a solid lick containing 8% urea and 23% molasses together with other energy, protein and mineral sources, achieving maintenance plus through winter. Daily intake is 500 g per livestock unit at a cost of approximately 12 tambala (1 US dollar equals 2.23 Malawi Kwatcha; I Malawi Kwacha equals 100 tambala).
As mentioned, molasses has been used in our rations at up to 58%. The inclusion rate varies greatly with the type of roughage used, depending on its ability to absorb molasses. For example, rice husks will absorb little if any, cottonseed husks (not delinted) will absorb more, whereas baggase absorbs a greater amount. Other ingredients in a ration may also have a bearing on the quantity of molasses used; wheat offals or maize bran can carry a greater amount of molasses than cottonseed cake. Because of the availability and convenience of molasses (our feedmixer being adjacent to the sugar mill) and of course the cost, we try to maintain as high a level as possible in all our feeds without affecting the efficiency of the ration.
Bagasse
Another by-product of sugar; used in our rations as a roughage. Very useful as a carrier for molasses. Inclusion rates vary as to fibre requirement. The success of our rations, we believe, is due to the coarse bagasse used as opposed to the separated and dried fine bagasse and pith used in other similar operations
Separating and drying allows the bagasse to re-absorb a greater amount of molasses and gives longer storage life. Unfortunately we do not have the facilities to do this. We use the bagasse as is, straight from the sugar mill. This sometimes contains a lot of moisture, depending on how soon we use it, which greatly reduces storage life to as little as 3 or 4 days. Mixed in the correct proportions, molasses and dried bagasse can totally replace maize in fattening rations and can replace a percentage of maize in pig and sheep rations, (protein correction would be necessary), thereby conserving a valuable human feed.
Bagasse is also used a fuel in the sugar mill and is therefore not always available, especially during the sugar off-crop period, December to April, when alternate roughages have to be used.
Cottonseed husks
A useful form of roughage which can totally replace bagasse in our feeds, higher in protein and T.D.N. (total digestable nutrients) but without the property of absorbing as much molasses.
Rice husks
A roughage which does not absorb molasses and is not used to replace more than 50% of the bagasse - higher in protein but considerably lower in T.D.N.
Whole cottonseed
As mentioned earlier, the availability of this product was one of the reasons our feedlot was sited at Ngabu. Together with molasses, bagasse, urea, salt and Vitamin A, a complete feed was formulated capable of producing weight gains of one kilogram plus per day. This simple mixture, supplying approximately 12.5% crude protein and 69% T.D.N., has been the basis of all subsequent rations.
Cottonseed cake
When whole cottonseed was no longer available to us, other sources of energy and protein were investigated. The first of these, cottonseed cake, remains an essential ingredient in our rations. Being higher in protein we were able to reduce the urea content, maintaining the level of protein. T.D.N. was more difficult to maintain, the cake being 10% lower than cottonseed and this dropped the T.D.N. to 57%. With the inclusion of wheat offals we were able to produce a successful feed.
Wheat offals
A by-product of wheat milling, fairly high in protein and T.D.N. Suits our high molasses feeds as it is a useful carrier for the molasses when bagasse is replaced by cotton or rice husks.
Hominy chop (maize germ and bran meal)
A by-product of maize milling which has been used in our fattening rations and is a major ingredient in our dairy and pig feeds. Also a useful carrier for molasses. Combinations of the above ingredients formulated as complete fattening rations of the following standards have been used successfully over the past 8 years.
|
C.P. |
11.5% - 13% |
|
T.D.N. |
67% - 70% |
|
Fibre |
9% - 12% |
|
Calcium |
0.7% - 0.9% |
|
Phosphorus |
0.3% - 0.4% |
|
Fat |
3% - 5% |
Rations of these standards on the type of cattle we are feeding, local steers aged 18 months to 3 years, give a liveweight gain of approximately 1 kg per day and a conversion ratio of an estimated 10:1. The average feeding period is 95 days.
Dressing out percentage from liveweight before transporting to Blantyre, is 52%. Average grades achieved over the past 7 months are 89% Choice, 10% Prime and 1% Standard.
Sidelines of the main feedlot operation are a beef breeding herd of 250 cows, dairy and pigs on a small scale and sheep breeding and fattening under intensive and extensive conditions. Production and maintenance feeds for all these operations are produced by the feedmill. Dairy feed is also produced for sale to small-holder farmers.
In conclusion I will say that the success of this feedlot operation is mainy due to the availability of suitable feed-stuffs, mostly by-products, from which an efficient feed can be formulated.
Standards used for ration formulation - (as is)
|
|
CP |
TDN |
FIBRE |
CALC. |
PHOS |
FAT |
|
Molasses |
3.5 |
75.0 |
- |
1.00 |
0.10 |
- |
|
Bagasse |
1.0 |
36.0 |
49.0 |
0.90 |
0.24 |
0.4 |
|
Cottonseed husks |
4.0 |
43.0 |
48.0 |
0.14 |
0.07 |
0.9 |
|
Rice husks |
3.0 |
13.0 |
44.0 |
0.10 |
0.08 |
- |
|
Whole cottonseed |
18.5 |
83.7 |
16.9 |
0.14 |
0.70 |
22.9 |
|
Cottonseed cake |
40.0 |
73.3 |
13.0 |
0.20 |
1.16 |
6.2 |
|
Wheat offals 1 |
16.5 |
76.6 |
4.5 |
0.13 |
1.20 |
7.5 |
|
Hominy chop 2 |
8.5 |
74.6 |
6.7 |
0.08 |
.34 |
7.6 |
1 Wheat offals = bran and middlings.
2 Hominy chop = maize bran and germ meal.
