THE PHILIPPINE WATER BUFFALO

C. R. Legaspino, Former Student, Department of Animal Science, College
of Agriculture, Central Luzon State University
E. A. Orden, Instructor, Department of Animal Science, College of
Agriculture, Central Luzon State University
D. D. Lorenzo, Instructor, Department of Animal Science, College of
Agriculture, Central Luzon State University
A total of six (6) caraheifers aged 2 to 3 years old with
body weight ranging from 280 to 287 kg were used as
experimental animals to determine their voluntary intake
and the digestibility of Themeda range pasture during
summer. The calculated mean voluntary dry matter intake
was 3.78 ± 0.18 kg which is equivalent to 1.31 ± 0.06
percent of the body weight. This intake is on the average
53.98 ± 2.41 dry matter of Themeda per kg metabolic body
size. The unimproved themeda range pasture at summer
time gave a mean value for dry matter digestibility and
digestion coefficients for crude fiber (CF), crude protein
(CP), nitrogen free extract (NFE) and ether extract (EE) of
40.61 ± 1.32, 56.58 ± 2.21, 17.00 ± 3.63, 52.41 ± 1.77
and 59.61 ± 5.10 percent, respectively. The total digestible
nutrient was found to be 45.20 ± 1.56 percent. Digestible
energy was 356.08 ± 74.84 cal/g.
Keywords: caraheifers, chromic oxide-lignin ratio
technique, dry season, digestibility, themeda range pasture,
voluntary intake
*Abstracts of Completed Studies. 1981-1986. (1982).
PCRDC-PCARRD, CLSU, Muñoz, Nueva Ecija. Also
in OED-PCC-DA Abstracts: Water Buffalo Researches in
the Philippines. 1981-1995. p. 135.
F-35
VARIATIONS IN THE NITROGEN FRACTIONS OF
RUMEN LIQUORS OF SLAUGHTERED CARABAOS*
P. L. Lopez, Associate Professor, Department of Animal Science, College
of Agriculture, University of the Philippines Los Baños
M. S. Banes, Research Assistant, Department of Animal Science, College
of Agriculture, University of the Philippines Los Baños
E. C. Ricohermoso, Research Assistant, Department of Animal Science,
College of Agriculture, University of the Philippines Los Baños
The total N values for fasted female carabaos ranged from
30.84 to 226.29 mg % with a mean value of 77.40 mg %
while that of the non-fasted ranged from 64.76 to 218.20 mg
% with a mean value of 106.82 mg %. The fasted and
non-fasted steers, however, have very close mean for
total N (106.90 to 106.57 mg %) although, the range was
just as wide from 39.32 to 179.84 mg % with fasted steers
and from 60.76 to 160.84 mg % with non-fasted steers.
The fasted bulls have values ranging from 31.02 to 150.94
mg % with a mean value of 70.67 mg % while the nonfasted
bulls have values ranging from 83.10 to 132.85 mg
FEEDING AND NUTRITION
% with a mean value of 108.31 mg %. The male carabaos
showed slightly higher mean (101.67 mg %) for total N
than the female (91.47 mg %). Similarly, the non-fasted
carabaos showed higher mean (106.78 mg %) than the
fasted (88.13 mg %) animals. The range in protein N was
just as wide as the total N. The mean values for female
and male carabaos were 64.88 and 75.67 mg %,
respectively. However, the female and bulls were
comparable in the mean protein N, 64.88 and 64.44%,
respectively, which were lower than that of the steers
(82.02%). There was only a slight difference in the mean
protein N for the fasted (70.26%) and non-fasted (71.52%)
carabaos. Non-protein N for fasted female carabaos ranged
from 6.80 to 34.95 mg % with a mean value of 17.29 mg
% while that of the non-fasted ranged from 11.73 to 54.88
mg % with a mean value of 36.73 mg %. The fasted
steers had NPN values from 8.37 to 54.66 mg % with a
mean of 20.09 to 53.29 mg % with a mean value of 32.83
mg %. The fasted bulls ranged from 15.16 to 33.03 mg %
and non-fasted of 23.77 mg % and from 20.30 to 67.52 mg
% with a mean value of 33.77 mg %. The mean NPN
values for steers and bulls were about equal (24.55 and
24.46 mg %) but these values were slightly lower than
that of the female (26.61 mg %). There was a marked
decrease in NPN from non-fasted (35.37 mg %) to fasted
(19.46 mg %) carabaos. Ammonia N values fell within
the same range as the NPN, although the mean values
were generally lower. Similar to protein N, the mean NH 3 -
N of females and bulls were about equal (17.48 and 17.30
mg %), respectively, a one and half percentage unit higher
than the mean value for steers (15.94%). The mean value
for non-fasted carabaos was much higher (22.48 mg %).
The difference was just as marked as the difference in the
NPN. The total N and all nitrogen fraction (PN