Truong La, Ph.D
Division of Research Management and International Cooperation
Using 18 Brahman crossbred bulls from 19 to 20 months for an experiment to examine their Average Daily Gain (ADG) while using diets of Total Mixed Ration (TMR). The bulls were allocated into 6 lots, each of 3 heads. Bulls were fed in 3 different rations by starch foods (maize meal, rice bran, cassava meal) with the same energy (2,420 Kcal) and crude protein (12.5%). For each ration, there were 01 experiment lot fed by TMR and 01 control lot fed by their own feedstuffs. The experiment lasted 90 days. Results showed that in a same ration, bulls fed by TMR could gain higher weights than traditional bulls (controls) (P<0.05). For ration 1, bulls in the experimental group had weight gain of 882 g/head/day while controls increased to 782 g/head/day. Similarly, in the ration 2, bulls in experimental group ADG of 870 g/head/day while the control group got 782 g/head/day; in ration 3, the experimental group ADG of 837 g/head/day, the control group was 784 g/head/day.
Keywords: Total Mixed Ration, fattening, beef cattle.