Effect of feeding baled and stacked urea treated rice straw on the performance of crossbred cows

Abstract Crossbred dairy cows (2–4 lactations) in three groups (4 in each group) were fed with rations containing (1) untreated rice straw ad libitum plus 1 kg concentrate supplement, (2) urea treated (4% urea; 50% moisture) rice straw stored in stack for 14 days, and (3) urea treated paddy straw compressed as bales and stored for 14 days. Extra concentrate supplement was offered to meet the production requirements. A 90 day feeding trial was conducted to study the effect on the quantity and quality of milk yield. During the last week of the experiment, a digestion trial was conducted to assess voluntary intake and digestibility. The voluntary feed intake was significantly ( P P P P