Supplementation with Leucaena leucocephala plus molasses-urea at 2 % on the milk production of Cuban Pelibuey dams

Yoel López Leyva
Estación Experimental de Pastos y Forrajes Indio Hatuey, Central España Republicana 44280, Matanzas, Cuba

ABSTRACT
The work was developed at the Institute of Agricultural Research “Jorge Dimitrov”, with Cuban Pelibuey dams to determine the most adequate level of the supplementation with Leucaena leucocephala on milk production. Thirty-six dams were used, distributed in four groups of 9 animals in the following treatments: TI (30 % leucaena); TII (25 % leucaena); TIII (20 % leucaena) and a control without leucaena (TIV), plus 8 hours of grazing + 0,200 kg of molasses and urea at 2 % + mineral salts in all the treatments. The chemical composition, the contribution of supplementation, live weight of the dams (WD), body condition (BC), weight at birth (WB), weight at weaning (WW), milk production and some biochemical indicators of the blood which are related to nutrition. The chemical composition shows little variation, the legume standing out with values of 22,4 to 23,7 % of CP, 30 to 31,2 % of DM and ME of 22,2 to 22,5 Mcal. A contribution of supplementation, with regards to the nutritional requirements of the dams, over 40 % for DM and ME and higher than 50 % for CP was obtained in treatment I. The result of the WD at the end provided values of 32,43; 31,31; 28,67 and 27,96 kg for treatments I, II, III and IV, respectively, with significant differences between treatments I and II with regards to TIII and TIV. The BC showed significant differences (P < 0,05) between treatments, with the best performance in TI. Weights at weaning are obtained of 15; 14,34; 13,86 and 13,6 kg for treatments I, II, III and IV, respectively, showing significant differences (P < 0,05) between TI and TII with regards to TIII and TIV. The milk production was favored with the higher quantity of the legume (TI) with values over 0,9 kg for TI, with differences (P < 0,05) for the first three treatments compared to TIV. There was a significant correlation for the BC, WD, PL and WW. The biochemical indicators were kept within the physiological range for TI and TII, being different for p < 0,05 with regards to TIII and TIV. The economic and productive results highlight the first treatment as the best to be used in the feeding systems of sheep dams.