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Nutrition of Zebu Cattle in Northern Nigeria 2. The Importance of Carotene Supplements

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 October 2008

T. B. Miller
Affiliation:
Institute for Agricultural Research, Ahmadu Bello University, Samaru, Zaria, Northern Nigeria
L. E. Iduma
Affiliation:
Institute for Agricultural Research, Ahmadu Bello University, Samaru, Zaria, Northern Nigeria

Summary

The importance of carotene supplements in the feeding of White Fulani Zebu cattle has been studied in three experiments. The live weight gains of heifers, with and without carotene on two planes of nutrition, showed 0·2 lb/head/day gain on the ‘high’ plane, but the ‘low’ plane group did not respond to carotene supplement. The association between cottonseed feeding and vitamin A deficiency, studied by comparing the rates of depletion of heifer calves on cottonseed supplements and on a sorghum/groundnut mixture, indicated that cottonseed can enhance the rate of carotene/vitamin A depletion in the liver. Carotene supplements equivalent to 2 oz red palm oil, to cows before and after calving failed to improve the vitamin A potency of milk. The total daily secretion of carotene and vitamin A in the milk was insufficient to maintain adequate liver stores in a suckled calf.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1967

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References

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