Using Paddy Straw as Cattle Feed

Punjab has now proposed to use the paddy crop residue as fodder for animals, especially cattle.

In Punjab, the total availability of paddy straw is about 20 million tones per annum.
The total value of this straw is Rs 400 crore approx., calculated on an average rate of Rs 200/quintal. Almost all of it is burnt in fields.
This accounts for economic loss apart from the loss of 77,000 tonnes of nitrogen and 5.6 million tonnes of Total Digestible Nutrients (TDN) which could be used for ruminant production.
Also nearly 30.4 per cent of rice straw is used for animal feed in Southeast Asia, Mongolia and China.

High silica and lignin content reduces its digestive properties.
Higher selenium content in paddy straw also limits its use as fodder in animals as compared to wheat straw.
However, if given in moderate quantities (up to 5 kg per animal per day), selenium poses no health hazard to the animal.
Paddy straw also contains oxalates (2-2.5%) which leads to calcium deficiency so mineral mixture should always be fed along with the straw.

Paddy Straw cannot be directly fed to animals. It has to undergo some treatments.
Two of them are: Urea-only treatment and urea plus molasses treatment.

14 kg of urea is dissolved in 200 litres water and spray on chopped paddy straw.
The fermented straws have soft texture with 6.0-8.0 per cent crude protein, 3.0-4.0 percent DCP and 55-60 per cent TDN.
This involves a combination of physical, chemical and biological treatments.
The paddy straw is chaffed and moistened (physical) with urea solution (chemical).
The breakdown of urea release ammonia gas, a part of which is utilised by microbes (biological) for their proliferation (enriching the straw with microbial protein).
This in turn results in breakage of lingo-cellulosic bonds making cellulose and hemi-cellulose assessable for utilization by microbes in the rumen.
The digestibility of cellulose increases from 40-45% in untreated paddy straw to 70-75 per cent in fermented wheat straw.

Also called “Urea-Molasses impregnated straw”, this method involves treating paddy straw with urea and molasses.
Urea 1 kg and molasses 3 kg was mixed thoroughly and mixed with water 10 kg. This is mixed with chaffed paddy straw and fed to animals on same day.
The experts however clarify that for maintenance of body weight in animals, paddy straw alone is not sufficient.
Minerals and green fodder supplementation is required.

The TDN values in urea treated paddy straw increased manifold as compared to untreated straw.
Crude protein (CP) increased from 4.5% to 8%, digestible crude protein (DCP) from 1.5% to 4% and total digestible nutrients (TDN) from 40% to 55%.
The feeding of urea treated straw (6 kg/day) to lactating buffaloes giving about 10 kg milk/day can result in saving about 60 per cent of oilseed cake in the ration.
Feeding of paddy straw should be mixed with berseem, cowpea or Lucerne as it forms a maintenance ration.
The straw should be fed with concentrate mixture and additional DCP or limestone should be given to the animals to reduce the effect of oxalates.
Oxalates also interfere in carbohydrate metabolism perhaps due to non-availability of calcium as cofactor.

The intake of siliceous forages has been associated with urinary siliceous calculi in drier regions where water may be limited.
There have been no definitive studies in India, but urinary calculi are associated with rice straw consumption.
It has high selenium (0.5 to 4.5 % ) content which can cause serious health problems in dairy animals.

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