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Background: In Ethiopia, locally available feed resources are commendable in livestock production to make the sector sustainable and productive. Objectives: This on‐farm evaluation was conducted to evaluate the effect of urea‐molasses‐treated highland bamboo (Yushania alpina) leaves (UMTHBL) in lactating crossbred dairy cows' nutrient utilization, body performance, milk yield and quality and economic performance. Methods: On‐farm feeding trial was conducted using 12 lactating cows with initial body weight (328.08 ± 0.98 kg), initial milk yield (3.14 ± 0.78 L) of uniform parity (2) and stage of lactation (early) using a Randomized Complete Block Design. Three dietary treatments, namely, 6 h grazing (control) + concentrate (T1), control + UMTHBL ad lib (T2), control + untreated BL adlib (T3) with three replications were used. Analysis of variance was employed for the feeding trial data analysis. Results: The UMTHBL increased more dry matter and nutrients intake than untreated. A significant difference (p < 0.05) was recorded between UMTHBL feeding (T2) and T1 and T3 in terms of increased milk yield. The highest (6.26 L) and the lowest (3.27 L) mean milk yield per day were recorded for cows fed UMTHBL and the control group, respectively. Urea‐molasses treatment improved the crude protein (CP) and reduced fibres content than untreated. Treatment effects were not‐significant (p > 0.05) for milk compositions. Similar to milk yield, dairy cows in T2 consumed more CP which is also reflected in higher body weight and economic benefit. Conclusion: It can be concluded that employing treatment technology for highland bamboo leaves could support the crossbred dairy cows' production in smallholder farmers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Models have been presented to evaluate the link between dairy farm production factors and their degree of association with production determinants. Studies have found causal relationships between production parameters (dairy farm facility, farm hygiene and waste management, feed and nutrition, reproduction performance, health and extension services, mode of transportation, education level and gross revenue) as well as farm efficiency parameters. Furthermore, structural equation modelling (SEM) allows for the estimation of parameters that are not directly quantifiable, known as latent variables. Objective: The research was designed to identify the dairy management determinants and evaluate farm production performance using an SEM approach in the selected areas of the Amhara region, Ethiopia. Methodology: In‐person survey using a semi‐structured pre‐tested questionnaire was employed in 2021 to collect primary data on 117 randomly selected commercial dairy producers keeping cross‐breed Holstein Frisian cows in the Amhara region. SEM was used to study the complexity of influences on efficiency measures in milk production utilizing the combined data. Results: The model result revealed that the relationship between construct reliabilities and farm facilities was significantly varied (p < 0.01). The model analysis showed that the level of education has also a positive and statistically significant correlation with the reproduction performance of the dairy farms, (ρ = 0.337) and the gross revenue of the farm showed as (p = 0.849). Farm gross revenue articulated a positive, strong statistically significant association with feed and nutrition values (ρ = 0.906), dairy farm facilities (ρ = 0.934), and hygiene and waste management (ρ = 0.921). Consequently, the predictors of dairy farm facility's feed and nutrition and hygiene and waste management explained 93.40%, 84.0%, 80.20%, and 88.50% of the variance. Conclusion: The proposed model was scientifically valid, and training and education have an effect on management practices, subsequently affecting the production performance of the dairy farms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Protein feed resources for ruminant animal productions are deficit in Ethiopia. Objectives: To evaluate the supplementation effects of dried Dodonaea angustifolia leaves (DDL), dried traditional brewery by‐product locally called atella and their mixtures on nutrient utilization and growth performance of Farta sheep fed natural pasture hay (NPH) as basal diet. Methods: Twenty‐five yearling intact male Farta sheep with average initial body weight of 14.53 ± 1.35 kg (mean ± SD) were used for the study. The experimental sheep were allocated into five blocks of five animals based on their initial body weight. The experiment lasted for 90 days of feeding trial followed by 7 days of digestibility trial. The experimental feeds were NPH ad libitum + 100% DDL + 100 g wheat bran (WB; T1), NPH ad libitum + 75% DDL + 25% dried atella + 100 g WB(T2), NPH ad libitum + 50% DDL + 50% deried atella + 100 g WB (T3), NPH ad libitum + 25% DDL +75% dried atella +100 g WB (T4) and NPH ad libitum + 100% dried atella + 100 g WB (T5). Results: NPH, DDL and dried atella contained 7.42, 15.39, 21.13% crude protein (CP) and 66, 36, 34% neutral detergent fiber, respectively. Sheep supplemented with increasing level of atella had more dry matter intake (DMI) and crude protein intake (CPI) and the highest of these DMI and CPI were in T5 (868 g/d for dry matter and 113 g/d for CP). This progressive increased CPI from T1 up to T5 was reflected in a significant (p < 0.001) fibers and estimated metabolizable energy intake in the order of T5 > T4 > T3 > T2 > T1. Significant difference (p < 0.001) was recorded on nutrient utilization and the highest was for T5 and lowest for T1. Average daily gain (ADG) and feed conversion efficiency (FCE) were significantly (p < 0.001) increased as the atella inclusion level increased. Sheep in T4 and T5 had the highest ADG and FCE with the order of T5 = T4 > T3 > T2 > T1. ADG was correlated positively and highly significant with nutrients intake and digestibility. Conclusion: Atella supplementation better than DDL and then their mixture (T2–T4) supplementation could be recommended in sheep fattening in the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of tree lucerne dried leaves (TLDL) as a substituting supplement for noug seed cake, and wheat bran concentrate mixtures (CM) on feed intake, digestibility, growth, carcass characteristics and economic benefits using Washera sheep fed desho grass hay as a basal diet. Methods: Twenty‐five male Washera sheep with an initial body weight of 16 ± 4.01 kg (mean ± SD) were used for both growth and digestibility trials which lasted for 90 and 10 days, respectively The experiment was conducted using a randomized complete block design having five blocks with five treatments (T1 = 0% TLDL + 100% CM; T2 = 25% TLDL + 75% CM; T3 = 50% TLDL + 50% CM; T4 = 75% TLDL + 25% CM and T5 = 100% TLDL + 0% CM). Results: Significant (p <.05) differences were observed among treatments in total dry matter (DM), nutrients and metabolizable energy (ME) intake; as the level of TLDL increases total DM and nutrient intake decreased (p <.05) except neutral detergent fibre intake (NDFI) and acid detergent fibre intake (ADFI). Digestibility of DM, organic matter (OM) and crude protein (CP) were significantly reduced (p <.001) among the treatments increasing the substitution level of TLDL for local concentrate mixture, but non‐significant for fibre fractions digestibility. Similarly, body weight, average daily gain and feed conversion efficiency were significantly different (p <.01) and highest in T1 than other treatments, whereas lowest values of the same parameters were observed for T5. Non‐significant difference among treatments was observed in almost all of the carcass characteristics except for rib‐eye area that showed significant difference among treatment and was highest in T1 and T2 (low level of TLDL inclusion). The economic analysis showed that supplementation TLDL was economically feasible in which the net return of the treatments were 31.66 (T1), 30.68 (T2) and 30.34 (T3), 27.88 (T4) and 26.32 (T5) USD (United States Dollar). Conclusions: It was concluded that TLDL could be used as alternative feed source by replacing concentrate mixture up to 75% (T4) which enhanced nutrient intake, digestibility and growth performance of Washera sheep. Finally, TLDL supplementation is recommended as replacement of CM up to 75% for its biological and economic feasibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]