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The feeding value for cattle of Wynn cassia hay (Cassia rotundifolia cv. Wynn) was assessed by measurement of dry matter intake (DMI) and average liveweight daily gain (ADG) of yearling steers fed chaffed diets of native pasture hay (0.44% N) that included 0, 10, 25, 50, or 80% of cassia hay. The cassia hay was obtained after seed harvest and, so, was of relatively poor quality (1.10% N, 70% stem). For comparison, lucerne hay (Medicago sativa cv. Trifecta) (2.42% N) treatments were also fed with native pasture hay at the same dietary legume proportions. The experiment was conducted over an 80-day period. Cattle fed only native pasture had low DMI (2.9 kg/head.day) and ADG (0.012 kg/head). DMI increased curvilinearly and ADG increased linearly with the proportion of cassia in the diet. Both DMI and ADG were significantly (P |
