Abstract
In a series of trials in Taiwan, wet or partly dried pineapple bran was ensiled with rice straw, maize meal, dried sweet potato chips, molasses and urea in various combinations and proportions. The addition of from five to ten percent of molasses was necessary for the production of well fermented palatable silage which, when fed at the rate of 16 to 18 kg plus 1 kg of supplementary concentrate per head per day to a group of dairy heifers, gave a daily liveweight gain of 0·65 kg per head over a 52 day period. In a second feeding trial, a ration containing 70 per cent of sun-dried bran and ten per cent each of molasses, soya bean meal and dried sweet potato chips, fed to steers at the rate of 9 kg/day per head, gave an average daily liveweight gain of 0·95 kg per head over a period of 150 days. It was concluded that pineapple bran, which is the cheapest source of roughage for ruminants in Taiwan, can be fed fresh when supplies are plentiful and should be conserved, either by sundrying or preferably by ensiling, for use at other times of year. When adequately supplemented, it is a valuable and cheap feeding stuff well suited to use in the vicinity of a cannery.
