EFFECT OF ENSILED MELON SEED HULLS ENHANCED WITH SOYA BEANS MEAL RESIDUES AND UREA

This study investigated the effects of ensilage on white melon seeds hulls enhanced with soya beans meal residue and urea.the results shows that The inclusion of melon seed hulls affected the nutrient composition of the experimental diets. Crude Protein (CP) decreased from 89.9% in T1 to 61.6% in T3, indicating that the hulls have relatively low protein content. This result is similar to the findings of Alabi et al. (2017), in T1 88.9 to 55.8 in T3 who reported a protein dilution effect when agro-industrial by-products were included in feed formulations. Conversely, Crude Fiber (CF) increased with hull inclusion, from 14% in T1 to 21% in T3, confirming the high fibrous nature of melon seed hulls. This aligns with Okoye and Ogbuewu (2010), from (14% in T1 to 20%) who emphasized the value of fibrous waste in enhancing digestive health in ruminants. Either Extract (EE) and Nitrogen-Free Extract (NFE) also increased across treatments, for 0.80% in T1 to 1.20% in T3 suggesting an improvement in energy content, as supported by Olorunsanya et al. (2015), 0.8 in T1 to (1.21% in T3% )who found that melon seed residues can enhance dietary energy levels. Ash content, representing total mineral presence, also increased slightly with hull inclusion from 3.90% in T1 to 4.60% in T3, confirming the hulls’ contribution to mineral availability, as noted by Oluremi et al. (2007), from 3.90% to 4.61%.