Tree leaves

Large varieties of plant materials which are conventionally not included in the feeds for livestock are used for feeding of cattle and other ruminants during periods of scarcity. Some varieties of tree leaves are conventional feeds for sheep and goats. Certain varieties are also fed to cattle and buffaloes. Leaves of different species have different nutritional characteristics. In general, in the early stages of growth the leaves contain fairly high percentage of crude protein and comparatively low  fibre content. As the vegetation advances in age, there is progressive decrease in the protein content and increase in the crude fibre. Tree leaves are generally rich in calcium, but have low phosphorus. The ratio of calcium and phosphorus is generally wide. Due to presence of tannic acid, the digestibility of protein in the leaves is low.