Babul Seeds

Due to its particular smell, babul seeds are not palatable as such to animals. But it is consumed by animals when mixed with more palatable conventional feeds. Babul seeds and babul pods chuni can be used up to 15% level in the concentrate mixture of lactating cows. These can be included at 39% level in the concentrate mixture of crossbred calves (Punj, 1988). Babul seed chuni can be used up  to  30, 45 and 15% level in  the ration of growing  calves, adult bullocks and lactating cows, respectively (Talpada et al., 2002). Patel et al. (1982) found that incorporation of processed babul seeds at 15, 30 and 45% level in ration of kankrej bullocks resulted in lower CP digestibility and lower retention of nitrogen, calcium and phosphorus as compared to control. In scarcity period, babul pods and babul pods chuni can be used for feeding of animals to save the livestock. Babul pods must be ground before feeding to cattle, otherwise the seeds pass undigested with faeces.