Vol. 11, Special Issue 11 (2022)

To study the effect of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) oil supplementation on milk production, nutrient digestibility, hematological profiles, and return over feed cost, eighteen lactating Mehsana buffaloes were assigned randomly into three groups. The treatments were CON: control group (fed basal diet); SO125 and SO250 were fed control diet supplemented with 125 and 250 ml/h/d sunflower oil for a period of 90 days. There was no difference (p>0.05) in feed intake of lactating buffaloes among the dietary treatments. Dietary inclusion of sunflower oils improved milk yield by 17.9 and 20.7%, 6% FCM yield by 16.4 and 22.9% and ECM yield by 16.0 and 23.0% in SO125 and SO250 groups, respectively as compared to the control. There was no significant (p>0.05) effect on the digestibility of dry matter, crude protein, crude fiber, ether extract, and nitrogen-free extract among the treatment groups. The mean hematological parameters were comparable between the control and treatment groups. The net return over feed cost was 30.22 and 26.41% higher in SO125 and SO250 groups, respectively as compared to the control. Based on the results, it may be concluded that 125 ml sunflower oil supplementation in the diet of lactating Mehsana buffaloes improved milk production and net return over feed cost.