The Effects of Dietary Neutral Detergent Fiber Ratio From Forage and Concentrate on the Dietary Rumen Degradability and Growth Performance of Philippine Native Goats (Capra Hircus Linn.)

This research's objective was to determine the dietary rumen degradability and growth performances of goats fed dietary treatments. 18 native female goats (live weight of 7.96 ± 2.21 kg) were grouped into 6 classes for the feeding trial and 3 male mature goats with rumen cannula were used for the in situ digestibility. The three dietary treatments were: T1 - 72:28 Forage-Concentrate NDF ratio; T2 - 64:36; and T3 - 57:43. The rate of rumen degradability of DM and CP at 0 hours, potentially degradable fraction (b) and the rate of degradation of b were not affected by dietary treatments. The different ratios of NDF in the diets significantly affected the intake of DM, CP and NDF from forage and concentrates. Treatment diets affected the total intake of DM, CP and NDF of the animals. However, growth performance was not affected by the treatments showing the same production efficiency. This means that diets given to native goats with ratio of forage NDF of 72.07% can be applied since the value of the output and efficiency of feed utilization had the same value compared to diets ratio of forage NDF of 57.21%

Effects of dietary xylanase-treated rice husk on performance characteristics of West African Dwarf goats Capra hircus

The effect of feeding value of Aspergillus tubingensis xylanase-treated rice husk supplemented in the dietary treatment to improve nutrient intake and digestibility, nitrogen retention and body weight gain in WAD goats was investigated. Twenty (20) West African Dwarf (WAD) goats of four to six (4-6) months old with a live weight of 6.5 - 6.6 kg were randomly allotted to four dietary treatments and a control with two replicates comprising two animals in each treatment group in a completely randomized design (CRD). Crude xylanase produced was used for enzymatic degradation of rice husk which enhanced fibre digestion, increases nutritional values and improves performance of WAD goats. The rice husk was initially subjected to physical pre-treatment through milling to increase the surface area. Pre-treated rice husk was treated by spraying the xylanase onto the rice husk at 100g/0.2mL. Xylanase-treated rice husk (XTRH) was used with other ingredients in formulating WAD goat diets at treatment levels of 0 (control), 10%, 20%, 30% and 40% (XTRH). The goat was fed on feeding trial for 56 days. Growth performance, nutrient digestibility and rumen fermentation parameters were evaluated. Crude protein intake and nutrient digestibility was significantly highest (p 0.05) for goats fed diet 4 with 30% inclusion level of xylanase-treated rice husk than for those fed at 10%, 20%, 40% or the control. Differences in feed nutrient intake and digestibility caused gradual improvement (p 0.05) in body weight gain from 16.07 (g/head/day) in the un-supplemented group to 42.88 (g/head/day) in goats fed at 30% (XTRH) inclusion level. Results showed that performance characteristics of goats fed diet 4 with 30% inclusion level of xylanase-treated rice husk was significantly (p0.05) higher than other treatment diets. The inclusion of xylanase-treated rice husk up to 30% in goat’s diet may have increased nutrients and dry matter digestion, total volatile fatty acids (TVFA's) and microbial protein production. The study concluded that xylanase-treated rice husk included at 30% in the diets of WAD goats improved feeding values of feed by increasing the rumen fermentation of fibrous diets and enhanced the growth performance of WAD goats

Assessment of feeding value of vegetable-carried pineapple fruit wastes to Red Sokoto goats in Ogbomoso, Oyo State of Nigeria

This study compared the sun-drying characteristics of five blends each (w/w; 1:1, 1:1.5, 1:2, 1:2.5, 1:3) of wheat offal-carried pineapple waste (WO:PW) and brewers’ dried grains-carried pineapple waste (BDG:PW), assessed the blends for their nutrient contents and the feeding value of the optimum blends with Red Sokoto (RS) goats. Moisture contents of all the blends were reduced to between 10.95 - 14.38% and 11.73 - 14.72%, respectively for WO:PW and BDG:PW blends within 7 h.  Drying was observed to be optimum at 1WO:2PW and 1BDG:2PW and their respective proximate compositions suggest their potentials as an energy source and a protein source respectively in ruminant nutrition. Free choice intake,  coefficient of preference and  percentage preference of the optimum blends  (1WO:2PW and 1BDG:2PW) and their respective equal mixtures (w/w) with a  formulated conventional concentrate (CCON) by RS goats, were subsequently evaluated alongside the CCON in a cafeteria  system. Results indicated that RS goats would opt for CCON in preference to other test feeds, but would readily accept WO-carried pineapple waste as an alternative to CCON.Key words: Acceptability, feed processing, fruit-processing by-products, seasonal nutritional stress, small ruminants

Validation of metabolisable protein and energy systems to predict the productivity of meat goats fed tropical grass, legumes and protein supplements

Tropical pastures are dominated by tropical or C4 grasses, which supply most of the forage material for grazing meat goats. In the typically long dry season of Northern Australia and West Timor, Indonesia, these grasses contain crude protein (CP) of 20 to 100 g/kg DM. This is equivalent to metabolisable protein (MP) content of 10.5 to 60.9 g/kg DM and metabolisable energy (ME) of 6.2 to 9.1 MJ/kgDM. These cannot meet the goats' requirements for MP and ME as recommended by the National Research Council (NRC) 2007. These nutritional issues cause low productivity in periparturient does for breeding and in weaner kids raised for red meat production. A feeding strategy aimed at increasing the productivity of goats fed tropical grass hay was to provide protein supplements to meet the ammonia requirements for rumen microbes with the minimum requirement 20 to 50 mg N/litre (Nolan, 1981) and true protein for the animals. Four general objectives were defined for this thesis: • To meet the nutrient requirements of periparturient and lactating does and weaner kids for both rumen degradable and undegradable protein (RDP and UDP), from which metabolisable protein (MP) was derived. • To categorise diets based on the relative and total estimated amounts of RDP, UDP, MP as well as metabolisable energy (ME) based on organic matter digestibility. • To validate the NRC (2007) methodologies for the prediction of dry matter intake (DMI) and average daily gain (ADG) of weaner kids fed tropical forages using intakes of these protein fractions and ME. • To recommend supplementation strategies that incorporate the RDP and UDP supplied by diets to improve growth and carcass yields of meat goats in the tropics, especially in East Nusa Tenggara (West Timor), Indonesia. Four experiments were conducted and each experiment became one chapter of this thesis. Experiment 1 utilised twelve periparturient crossbred Boer does and their suckling kids. Each group of three animlas was offered Rhodes grass hay (RGH) as a basal diet (Control) or RGH supplemented with urea (Urea), urea plus cottonseed meal (Urea-CSM) and cottonseed meal (CSM). The objectives were to limit doe body weight loss, prevent ketosis and to increase the ADG of their suckling kids by varying the quantities of UDP and RDP based on the NRC (2007) recommendation. Protein supplements did not prevent doe body weight loss, but Urea-CSM and CSM supplements reduced non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) and β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) in the blood plasma. Supplements did not affect milk concentration, but increased ADG in suckling kids in the first week of the lactation period. These body weights and blood metabolites responses were associated with intakes of UDP, RDP, ME and Nitrogen retention. Experiments 2 and 3 were conducted to increase liveweight gain and carcass yield of crossbred Boer goats by varying the quantities of dietary concentrations of RDP and UDP according to NRC (2007) recommendation. In a five-treatment experimental design, the basal diet of Rhodes grass hay was supplemented with: 1. Urea (Urea), 2. Urea plus cottonseed meal (Urea-CSM), 3. Cottonseed meal (CSM), 4. Air dried Gliricidia sepium leaves (Gliricidia), and 5. Desmanthus leptophyllus dried leaves (Desmanthus) only. The dietary crude protein concentrations in Experiments 2 and 3 were 137 g/kg DM and 195 g/kg DM, respectively. Five of the 25 growing female crossbred Boer kids were allotted one diet in Experiment 2 for 120 days. The results showed that goats supplemented with Urea, Urea-CSM or Gliricidia lost weight as much as 15, 3 or 3 g/head per day, respectively.. Goats supplemented with CSM gained weight at the rate of 7 g/d and this increased to 33 g/d when the goats were fed Desmanthus hay. This liveweight gain data was not associated with MP and ME requirements suggested for temperate goats by NRC (2007). Growing at these rates, it was apparent that weaner goats would not achieve market liveweight within a reasonable timeframe. Therefore, Experiment 3 was conducted by increasing the dietary crude protein concentration to 195 g CP/kg DM. In Experiment 3, the goats were rearranged into the same five dietary treatments and raised indoors in individual pens for 130 days. Evidence from this study revealed that weaner goats fed Desmanthus grew faster at an ADG of 83 g/head per day and had heavier carcass with an average cold carcass weight of 12.1 kg and non-carcass components, followed by goats fed CSM, Urea-CSM, Gliricidia and Urea. Heavier carcass weight was associated with greater eye muscle area and fat depth at the 12th to 13th rib interface. The higher rate of liveweight gain, carcass and non-carcass components yields for goats fed the Desmanthus diet, compared with other treatments, was associated with increased intakes of UDP, RDP, MP and ME. High intakes, growth rate and carcass weight in the goats was more likely associated with feed digestibility and nitrogen retention. Experiment 4 was therefore conducted to compare apparent digestibility and nitrogen retention in crossbred Boer kids fed tropical grass hay supplemented with an NPN-RDP source (urea) and a source of RDP and UDP of true protein origin (cottonseed meal) at a dietary crude protein level of 175 g/kg DM. Twelve growing, male crossbred goats were divided into four groups of three. The first, a control group, received a basal diet of RGH; the second, a Urea group, received RGH plus urea; the third, a Urea-CSM group, received RGH plus urea mixed with cottonseed meal and the fourth, a CSM group, received RGH plus cottonseed meal. Results indicated that higher feed intake, apparent digestibility of crude protein and digestible nutrient intake were associated with CSM and Urea-CSM supplements. Higher nitrogen retention, however, was associated with CSM supplementation. Modeling to predict DMI and ADG was conducted using input data derived from Experiments 2 and 3. Dry matter intake was predicted using metabolic body weight and estimated dietary concentration of ME or DM digestibility or estimated dietary concentration of ME only. Results showed that these equations were generally not useful to predict DMI of goats. Specifically, it was evident that dietary concentration of UDP, not RDP or CP, was the better predictor of DMI. When ADG was predicted using MP and ME intakes incorporated with standard requirements by NRC (2007), the percentage of variation explained by the model as indicated by the coefficient of determination (R²) was so low that the difference between predicted and actual ADG values was very large, hence predictability was poor. Metabolisable protein intake could predict ADG when goats were supplemented with Urea or fed Desmanthus only at a dietary CP level of 137 g/kg DM. Metabolisable energy intake could only predict ADG in goats supplemented with Gliricidia at a dietary CP level of 195 g/kg DM. Despite the high coefficient of determination (R²) values above 0.70, a strong relationship between ADG and MP or ME intake in these two studies was not evident since the NRC (2007) equations could not accurately predict ADG for most of the treatments. It can be concluded that protein supplementation to goats fed tropical grass should consider requirement for rumen microbes in the form RDP and the requirement for animal in the form of UDP. The combination of these two types of protein sources made of Urea and cottonseed meal at the dietary crude protein level of 143 g/kg DM maintained normal blood metabolites of periparturient does. Supplements of Urea, Urea plus cottonseed meal or cottonseed meal to lactating does increased average daily gain of suckling kids but weaner goats should be supplemented with RDP and UDP at a dietary crude protein level of 195 g/kg DM. Dry matter intake and ADG responses were associated with intakes of RDP, UDP and ME. Among these determinant factors, UDP is the best predictor for DMI. Both intakes of MP and ME were good predictors for ADG of weaner kids according to the NRC (2007) prediction methodologies. In addition to Urea and cottonseed meal, Desmanthus hay provides RDP and UDP for weaner goats, which resulted in heavier body weight and carcass weight as compared to those fed Rhodes grass hay and supplemented with Urea and/or cottonseed meal

Growth Performance and Bio-Economic Indices of Varying Mixtures of Grass-Legume Pellets Fed to West African Dwarf (Wad) Goats

The need to improve forage conservation for animal usage during the dry season is a necessity. Varied mixture of grass-legume pellets (60% Panicum maximum (6Pm); 30% Panicum maximum + 30% Lablab purpureus (3Pm3Lp); 40% Panicum maximum + 20% Lablab purpureus (4Pm2Lp); 40% Panicum maximum + 20% Stylosanthes hamata (4Pm2Sh) and 30% Panicum maximum + 30% Stylosanthes hamata (3Pm3Sh)) were used to assess growth performance and bio-economic indices of varied mixtures of grass-legume pellets fed to West African Dwarf (WAD) goats. Thirty (30) WAD goats (aged 6-7 months) were used and the experimental design was a Completely Randomized Design. Data obtained were crude protein, crude fibre, ash, minerals, dry matter intake (DMI), crude protein intake (CPI), protein efficiency ratio (PER), cost of feed/weight gain (CF/W) and analyzed by one way ANOVA. 3Pm3Sh pellets had the highest (p<0.05) CP (17.32%) while 6 Pm had the highest (p<0.05) values of fibre fractions except for hemicellulose. There was no significant influence on the mineral contents except for iron, copper and chlorine. WAD goats fed 3Pm3Sh had the highest (p<0.05) DMI (458.72g/animal/day), CPI (76.72g/animal/day) and PER (0.91) which resulted in highest (p<0.05) weight gain (3.82kg). The cost of feed/weight gain was similar across the pellets except for 3Pm3Lp. Higher (p<0.05) CF/W was recorded for 3Pm3Lp. The study concluded that the grass-legume pellets can be employed as ruminant feed while pellet of 3Pm3Sh is the best grass-legume combination for WAD goats. Thus, this pellet can be fed to WAD goats during the dry season. Keywords: WAD goats, pellet, Panicm maximum, Lablab purpureum, Stylosanthes hamata DOI: 10.7176/JBAH/9-24-09 Publication date: December 31st 201

Growth Performance and Ruminal Metabolic Variables of Goats Fed Rain Tree (Samanea saman) Pods

The effect of rain tree pods (RTP) or acacia pods on the growth performance, rumen metabolites, and digestibility of dry matter (DM) and crude protein (CP) in goats was evaluated through feeding trial and in situ methods. Eighteen 7 month-old Philippine native goats with body weight range of 7.86±1.28 kg were divided into three groups consisting of six replicates and randomly assigned to one of treatment diets containing 0%, 50%, and 100% RTP in the concentrate portion of a ration containing 65% roughage and 35% concentrate. Three rumen-cannulated mature goats were used in the in situ studies to determine the dietary effects on rumen fluid pH, total volatile fatty acids (VFA), ammonia, and rumen DM and CP digestibilities.  Differences (P values 50% RTP generally resulted in lower above-stated performance parameters.  Rumen fluid pH of goats decreased after feeding and was lowest in goats fed with 50% RTP. Concentrations of VFA and ammonia were not significantly different. Slowly degradable DM of the test diets were higher in concentrate mixture without RTP. Degradable fractions of CP had highest value on concentrate mixture without RTP while lowest on 100% RTP. However, no differences were observed on potentially digestible fractions and degradability constants of DM and CP. It could be concluded that RTPs can be an alternative ingredient in concentrate mixtures given up to 50% in the mixture as part of a daily ration for goats

Effect of roughage processing and feeding level on production, reproduction, and growth performance of the Red Maradi goat.

Doctor of Philosophy in Animal Science. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg 2016.Abstract available in PDF file

Growth indices, dry matter yield and nutritive value of Centrosema pascuorum at four different cutting regimes in humid tropics

A study was conducted on growth indices, dry matter yield (DMY) and nutritive value of Centrosema pascuorum at four different cutting regimes of growth i.e. 8, 10, 12 and 14 weeks after sowing (WAS). Experimental design was a complete randomized design with three replicates on 4m by 12m bed. Results showed significant (P<0.05) increase in the number of leaves (16.70 – 55.67), leaf length (7.63 – 11.34 cm), leaf width (1.00 – 1.68cm) and plant height (49.34 – 108.40cm) from 8 to 14 WAS. Higher significant (P<0.05) DMY was recorded in 12 WAS (7.47t/ha) and 14 WAS (7.80t/ha). There was a significant (P<0.05) difference in crude protein, crude fibre, neutral detergent fibre, acid detergent fibre, non-fibre carbohydrate, ash, calcium and phosphorus. Significant (P<0.05) values were recorded for dry matter intake, dry matter digestibility and relative feed value across the cutting regimes. Significant difference (P<0.05) was also observed for the methane (CH4) gas production (18.00 – 21.33 ml) and methane reduction percentage (87.88 – 91.67%). Similar (P>0.05) contents were observed for 24 hours’ gas production, in vitro dry matter digestibility, in vitro organic matter digestibility, short chain fatty acid and metabolizable energy across the different cutting regimes. Conclusively, growth pattern and DMY of Centrosema pascuorum across the different cutting regimes 8 – 14 WAS consistently increased, coupled with nutritive parameters and post in vitro characteristics. Centrosema pascuorum could be best harvested at 12 and 14 WAS for its effective and efficient utilization for livestock production especially ruminants. Key words: Centrosema-pascuorum; Cutting-regime; Dry-matter-yield; Growth-indices; Nutritive-valu