Feeding Stuff : Dry roughages

Dry roughages:

            Dry roughages have been further classified as hay and straw based on the nutritive values and methods of preparation.

a) Hay: When a green crop in a mature state is preserved for a long time it is called hay. The aim in hay making is to reduce the moisture content of the green crop up to 15%-20% to inhibit the action of plant and microbial enzymes. According to the type of forages which are dried, hays are categorised as leguminous and non- leguminous. Among the leguminous plants, the most suitable is lucerne (alfa-alfa). Properly prepared lucerne hay contains 14-15% D.C.P and 50% TDN. Non-legume hays made from grasses are not as good feed as legume hays. These are less palatable and contain less protein mineral matters and vitamins than legume hays.

b) Straw: Of all feeding-stuffs, straws are perhaps the poorest in protein and have the largest percentage of crude fibre. They are poor in phosphorus, trace elements of calcium but rich in silica. Thus D.C.P content is practically nil while 40% of T.D.N. In western countries straws are never fed to livestock but are usually used as bedding.

In general straws of leguminous fodder like cowpea, groundnut, mung, gram etc have higher nutritive value varying from 2 to 3% D.C.P and 30-40% T.D.N.

Straw consists of the stems and leaves of plants after removal of the ripe seeds by threshing and are produced from most cereal crops and from some legumes.