NEWS
Move over silage, here is
stylish way to store feeds
Reprinted From: http://bit.ly/38ydHNX
Richard Maosi
S
ome 16km from Nakuru Town along
the Nakuru-Nairobi highway sits
the Moi Forces Barracks, Lanet. The
military facility is one of the government
installations in the area, the other being
the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock
Research Organisation (Kalro).
At Kalro, we meet Dr Naftali Ondabu
checking on brachiaria grass on the in-
stitution’s fodder farm. Dr Ondabu, a
livestock specialist, is seeking to ensure
cattle farmers do not lack feeds to offer
their animals come rain or shine.
“Feeds consist of up to 60 per cent of
the total cost on livestock farms. These
costs have risen due to climate change,
especially for farmers in arid areas,” he
says.
Dr Ondabu is teaching farmers how to
make nutritious feed blocks from vari-
ous fodder grasses, in particular bra-
chiaria, which are then stored and fed
to animals especially during the dry
period. Seeds of Gold finds him and
his team preparing to harvest brachiaria
grass.
“This looks like napier grass but it is
not. Napier grass no longer thrives in
different parts of the country because
of pests and diseases. Brachiaria, which
grows well in most regions, is more nu-
tritious.”
The grass only takes two months to ma-
ture and harvesting can continue for up
to 10 years.
“From brachiaria, a farmer can harvest
some 18 tonnes of grass per acre but
when dried and turned into hay, it pro-
duces about 10 tonnes due to loss of
moisture.”
Besides brachiaria, one can also use
Boma Rhodes and lucerne grass to
make feed blocks.
To make the feed blocks, one puts two
litres of molasses mixed with one litre of
warm water into a basin, then adds 2 kg
of dry brachiaria grass or any other kind
of fodder grass.
31
Figure 1: Miriam Wangare, a farmer in Wanyororo A in Lanet feeds her dairy cat-
tle with the feed blocks. They are used to help livestock farmers take care of the
changing climate pattern. (Photo: Richard Maosi – Nation Media Group)
Highly nutritious feeds
Well-dried fodder mixes easily with mo-
lasses and minimises the risk of rotting
later. The mixture, placed in a normal
basin, makes between 2-3 feed blocks.
“In the mixture add two handfuls of
dolichos beans powder for protein, two
tea spoonfuls of table salt for taste and
lemon rinds that act as a preservative,
then you stir the mixture thoroughly un-
til no fluid leaks out.
Then put the mixture in the machine
used in brickmaking or a similar gadget
that can be made easily on the farm to
attain a rectangular or square shaped
feed blocks” he says, noting besides
dolichos, one can use dried and ground
desmodium or lucerne leaves.
The blocks are then put under the shade
for about three to four days. The highly
nutritious feeds are ready to be given to
the animals thereafter.
“One can also put the feed blocks in-
side a greenhouse for drying. In fact,
this is the best place because tempera-
tures are usually higher inside, which
speeds up the process of hardening the
feed blocks.”
Small-scale livestock farmer can, how-
ever, store the feed blocks in a well-ven-
tilated room without any moisture.
“Moisture is avoided to curb the emer-
gence of moulds, which are associated
with dump environment and are poison-
ous,” he notes.
The blocks are high quality feeds that
are readily available all year round, says
Dr Ondabu, adding that they are cost-
effective and easy to make and store.
“Feed blocks’ shelf-life depends on
how you preserve them because their
purpose is to be used during the dry
season when other feeds are not avail-
able,” he says, adding that they can last
up to three years without losing nutri-
ents.
Grassroots
Vol 20
No 1
March 2020