Preweaning Madura male calves do not need supplementation even in the dry season

Abstract Smallholder farmers on Madura Island rely significantly on natural feed resources, which fluctuate seasonally and may influence cattle growth. Nutritional supplementation might be the best option to solve the problem. This study aimed to investigate the effect of concentrate supplementation on pre-weaning male Madura calves during the dry season. A randomized complete design was applied with three dietary treatment and twelve replicates: (A) calves suckling their dams freely and receiving native grass ad libitum, (B) treatment A plus 0.5 kg/d of commercial concentrate, and (C): treatment A plus 1.5 kg/d of commercial concentrate. The observed parameters were feed intake, liveweight, liveweight gain, girth, hip height, body length, and body condition score. Concentrate supplementation significantly increased total dry matter intake, while grass intake remained similar across treatments at approximately 0.7 kg DM/d. However, no dietary effects were detected in liveweight (73.59-86.08 kg), liveweight gain (0.48-0.63 kg/d), girth circumference (99.22-103.56 cm), hip height (97.85-100.14 cm), body length (82.50-85.28 cm), and body condition score (2.92-3.11, in 1-5 scale). Under the conditions of this study, no clear growth advantage was associated with additional concentrate supplementation in pre-weaning male Madura calves during the dry season.