Effects of Urea-Molasses-Mineral-Blocks (UMMB) On The Growth Performance of Goats (CAPRA HIRCUS) Maintained on Natural Pastures in Papua New Guinea.

Urea Molasses Mineral Blocks (UMMB)

Abstract

Use of urea molasses mineral blocks (UMMB), as feed supplements for goats to improve productivity, especially on farms which depend mostly on fibrous feeds of low nutritional quality in Papua New Guinea (PNG) is limited. This study was therefore conducted to investigate the growth of goats fed on UMMB in terms of their live weight gains (LWG). There were three treatments at each site: Treatment I goats were fed on natural pastures alone without UMMB. Treatment II goats were given an additional supplement of UMMB containing 5% urea and Treatment III goats were given an additional UMMB supplement containing 10% urea. Nine whether goats were randomly assigned to the treatments at each site. The goats grazed the normal pastures during the day and were offered the UMMB as licks only during the night (4pm to 8am next morning). LWG of the goats were measured over 16wks trial period The treatments had significant effect on LWG at both sites (P<0.05). LWG of goats on treatments I, II and III were 0.90±0.50kg, 0.47±0.50kg and 4.60±0.50kg respectively at NARI Labu station and -0.2±0.5kg, 2.1±0.5kg and 2.2±0.5kg respectively at Leron farm. LWG of goats in treatments I and II were statistically similar but significantly lower than that of goats in treatment III (LSD, P<0.05). However results of the on-farm trial showed that goats on treatments II and III had statistically similar LWG which were significantly higher than LWG of goats in treatment 1. The better performance of goats on UMMB especially on-farm where pastures were nutritionally poorer than those on-station suggest that UMMB technology could be used to increase growth and productivity of goats especially on commercial smallholder and subsistence farms in PNG.