PERFORMANCE OF GARUT BREED RAMS FED BY RATION CONTAINING DIETARY ADDITIONS OF CATION-ANION DIFFERENCE AND FATTY ACID CONTENTS

R. Hidayat, T. Toharmat, A. Boediono, I.G. Permana

Abstract
This study was carried out to evaluate the effect of dietary cation-anion difference (DCAD) and fish oil supplementations on dry matter intake (DMI), dry matter digestibility (DMD) and organic matter digestibility (OMD), weight gain, as well as the acidity of urine in Garut breed rams. The dietary treatments were as follows: R0= basal ration (DCAD +14) without fish oil, R1= basal ration (DCAD +14) with 3% fish oil, R2= base ration (DCAD +40) without fish oil, R3= base ration (DCAD +40) with 3% fish oil, R4= acid ration (DCAD -40) without fish oil, and R5= acid ration (DCAD -40) with 3% fish oil. All rations contained 150 ppm of zinc and were offered to 18 of Garut breed rams. The result indicated that DCAD +40 and -40 decreased DMI significantly. The ration with DCAD +40 had the lowest DMI. Fish oil supplementation decreased DMI. No differences were observed for DMD and OMD. DCAD +40 and -40 decreased body weight of rams except RA0 ration. However, the body weight of rams was very low. Variation of urine pH followed the DCAD pattern. It could be concluded that DCAD +40 and -40, as well as fish oil supplementations decreased DMI, body weight and urine's pH followed DCAD pattern.

Key words: Cation, anion, body weight, digestibility, Garut breed rams