Description:

Experiment: Fresh rice straw (about 5 kg) were treated in plastic bags with 2% and 4% urea. Samples of freshly processed samples were taken on the day of product after 0, 1, 7, 14, 21, 30 and 60 days to determine their nutritive value. After 60 days of processing, the quality of all samples were acceptable in terms of dour and apprarance. NDF and ADL content decreased significantly and in-vitro digestibility was significatly improved.

In an on-farm feeding trial with 12 young cattle fed a locally available grass and fresh straw urea treatmented showed that growth rate was increased.

Applied in production process of rice straw:

Rice straw – Harvest – Processing (urea treatment) – Bale – Preservation – Pilot production and experiment – Building a finished model – Evaluation – Production.

In the case of present manufacturing context, a suitable rice straw pressing machine has a capacity of 5 tonnes/day and working by a group with 4 labours. Rice straw block has a size of 60 x 40 x 50 cm and the weight of 25kg. The reasonable price for manufacturing 1 kg of product (including collecting rice straw and processing without transportation) was ranged from 616 to 689 VND . Using the belt and tied machine reduces the losses during transportation and makes the block more solid, don’t be broken. Nutritive value of  rice straw block (has been processed by urea in 60 days) are constant and have a good quality and colour. Replacing 50% fresh grasses by treated rice straw blocks in the diet for fattening cattle after 2 months in improved live weight gain and saved 30% of feed cost compared to control diet of grasses and concentrate.

Areas of application:  Husbandary

Development status: Pilot

Advantage: Replacing 50% fresh grasses by treated rice straw blocks in the diet for fattening cattle after 2 months in improved live weight gain and saved 30% of feed cost compared to control diet of grasses and concentrate.

Contact: Nguyen Thi Mui

Company: Division of Nutrition, Feed and Field, National Institute of  Animal Husbandry