Effect of Molasses Feeding on Biochemical and Hormonal Parameters in Sahiwal and Karan Fries Heifers

The present study was designed to investigate the effect of molasses feeding on biochemical and hormonal parameters in Sahiwal and Karan Fries heifers under two feeding regimes, i.e. feeding regime-1, as per the NRC (2001) and feeding regime-2 having 15 % higher energy (supplementation of molasses) than NRC (2001). Twelve healthy heifers (18-24 month) of each Sahiwal and Karan Fries were selected from Livestock Research Centre (LRC) of ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute (ICARNDRI). An initial 15 days were maintained as adaptation period for both feeding regimes. Actual experiment was conducted from 16th day onward for next 15 days. Blood samples were taken on 1st, 7th, 14th, 15th, and 16th day of each feeding regimes and analysed for various biochemical and hormonal parameters. The plasma glucose, Triiodothyronine (T 3 ) and Thyroxin (T 4 ) were signifi cantly (p<0.05) higher during feeding regimes-2 as compared to feeding regimes-1 in both the breeds, while the plasma BUN levels were signifi cantly lower during feeding regimes-2. The plasma NEFA level was found to be higher during feeding regimes-1 as compared to feeding regimes-2 in Sahiwal heifers. It is concluded that molasses supplementation in feed enhances the growth performance and reduces the non esterifi ed fatty acid in both Sahiwal and Karan Fries heifers.