In the tropics, forage available to livestock for much of the year is of poor quality. With low nitrogen and high fibre content which limit their digestion and intake resulting in low productivity. In these studies sheep offered poor quality veld hay were given napier hay or groundnut hay as supplements.

EXPT 1. Five diets, veld hay (plus 1 % urea) alone (Control), or supplemented with 150 g or 300 g Napier or Groundnut hay (150Nap, 300Nap, 150Gnut & 300Gnut) were given to five mature rumen cannulated Dorper x Merino male sheep (about 65 kg live weight) for three week periods as a 5 x 5 latin square. All forages were chopped (about 1 cm). Veld hay was offered ad libitum, with supplements fed separately at 08.00h. At the end of each period, feed intake, digestibility, nitrogen retention, rumen ammonia and in sacco degradability of veld hay were measured.