Effect of Additional Energy Supplement on the Productive Performance of Lactating Murrah Buffaloes

Energy is one of the most important nutritional factor that limit the production of dairy animals. It has been observed that the productivity of dairy animals are adversely affected because of lack of providing sufficient ration in early lactation stage which results into weight loss, anemia and various reproductive and metabolic disorders. Maximizing energy intake by increasing the energy density of the diet is a logical feeding strategy for early lactating buffaloes. Considering the need of energy in high yielding lactating animals especially in their early stage of lactation, the experiment was planned to investigate the effect of additional energy supplement (5% additional concentrate, soybean oil @ 100 ml/animal/day, bypass fat @ 100 g/animal/day and roasted soybean @ 100 g/animal/day) on productive performance of 30 apparently healthy lactating Murrah buffaloes for a period of 90 days post partum. Milk yield were recorded at monthly intervals and milk composition was analyzed at fortnight intervals. The average fat percent in milk has increased significantly (p < 0.05) throughout the study period in all the groups. There was no significant difference in the overall average protein, lactose, SNF and total solids percent were observed among the groups.