Growth performance and economics of sheep production with varying levels of rice milling waste

A twelve-week feeding trial was conducted using sixteen (16) growing Uda lambs to determine the growth performance of sheep fed varying levels of rice milling waste. Diets containing graded levels of rice milling waste replacing wheat offal at 15, 30 and 45% inclusion levels were formulated. Diet without rice milling waste served as control. Results showed that incorporating rice milling waste in the diet of growing sheep up to 45% level did not adversely affect (P>0.05) growth performance. Such incorporation led to decrease in the cost of feed /kg live-weight gain. However, animals on 30% rice milling waste diet were better compared to other treatments in terms of dry matter intake, weight gain, and cost of production. For best economic returns, rice milling waste in the diet of the growing sheep should not exceed 30%. Finally, it is recommended that more trials should be carried out with different breeds of sheep in order to ascertain the true feeding value of rice milling waste

Effects of Feeding High Level of Cowpea Husk on the Haematological and Blood Urea Nitrogen of Uda Lambs

This study was conducted at Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, to find out the effect of feeding high levels of cowpea husk on the haematological parameters and Blood urea nitrogen of Uda lambs. Fifteen (15) weeks feeding trial (including three (3) weeks digestibility trial) was conducted using sixteen (16) growing Uda lambs. Four diets with varying levels of cowpea husk were formulated. The diets were diet 1 control, 0% cowpea husk, diet 2, 20%, diet 3, 40% and diet 4, 60% cowpea husk. Blood samples were collected prior to and at the end of the feeding trial for haematological (blood glucose, blood urea nitrogen and bilirubin) studies. Results showed that incorporation of cowpea husk in the diet of growing Uda lambs up to 60% level gave an encouraging effect. Haematological parameters, blood glucose and blood urea nitrogen and bilirubin obtained at the end of feeding trial were within the normal ranges reported in the literature. It could be concluded that cowpea husk has no detrimental effect on the haematological characteristics of growing Uda lambs

Haematological and Biochemical Indices of Growing Lambs Fed Fore-Stomach Digesta and Poultry Litter Waste

Haematological values and blood urea nitrogen levels of growing Uda lambs fed forestomach digesta (FSD) and poultry litter waste (PLW) were studied. The experimental animals were randomly allotted (n=4/treatments) to diets A (20% FSD), B (20% PLW), C (10% each of FSD and PLW), D (6.67% FSD and 13.33% PLW) and E (13.33% FSD and 6.67% PLW). The experiment lasted for 84 days. Blood samples were collected prior to and after the feeding trial for haematological and blood urea nitrogen determination. Initial packed cell volume and final red blood cell counts were not significantly different between treatments (P>0.05). Initial haemoglobin concentration (HB) was similar (P>0.05) to those on treatments A, C, D, and E while final HB concentration was similar (P>0.05) for those on treatments B, C, and E. Initial and final values of neutrophil and lymphocyte counts were not significantly different (P>0.05) for all treatments. There were no traces of eosinophils at the end of the feeding trial while monocyte counts were not significantly different (P>0.05) at the beginning and end of the feeding trial. Total protein showed no significant difference in all the treatments at initial and final collections of blood. Similar results were observed for albumin and globulin concentrations. Haematological values and blood urea nitrogen were within normal values; indicating that there was no toxicity associated with the feeding of FSD and PLW alone or in mixtures to growing lambs. It was concluded that the test diets were not toxic to animals based on the haematological indices and blood biochemical parameters which were within recommended values. Key Words: Lambs, Fore-Stomach Digesta, Poultry Litter Wast

Haematological Characteristics and Blood Urea Nitrogen of Sokoto Red Goat Kids Fed Fore-Stomach Digesta as Replacement for Cowpea Husk

study was conducted to monitor the haematological characteristics and blood urea nitrogen of Sokoto Red kids fed varying levels of Fore-stomach digesta (FSD) replacing cowpea husk at 0, 10, 20 and 30 % levels of inclusion in complete experimental diets. Blood samples were collected prior to and after the feeding trial. The study lasted for 15 weeks. Results indicated thathaematological values and blood urea nitrogen were within the normal range indicating no toxicity associated with the feeding of FSD to Sokoto Red goat kids. The study concluded that 20 % was the best inclusion level for better economic production

Performance and cost of production of fattening Uda sheep fed diets containing different energy levels in a semi-arid environment

An experiment was conducted to determine optimum energy level for fattening Uda sheep in a semi arid environment. Twenty entire male animals with an average weight of 29kg were used in a completely randomized experimental design (CRD). The animals were fed diets containing 2200, 2400, 2600 and 2800 kcals metabolizable energy (ME) / kg of diet. The findings of the study revealed that dry matter (DM) intake and live weight gain (LWG) increased with increasing energy level (P<0.05). Beyond 200 kcals ME / kg, DM intake and LWG tended to decrease (P>0.05). Fattening animals fed diets containing 2600 and 2800 kcal ME / kg were the same (P>0.05) in terms of LWG. Cost of feed / kg LWG was lower for the animals fed diet containing 2600 kcals ME / kg. It was concluded that the optimum energy level found suitable for fattening Uda sheep in semi-arid zone was 2600 kcal ME /kg. The energy value observed from the study could be used by livestock keepers who intend to grow or fatten animals. Studies should be carried out to evaluate the energy requirement of other sheep breeds; so also mineral and vitamin requirements for growth and fattening.Keywords: Uda sheep, fattening, energy, cost, die

Haematological and Biochemical Parameters of Uda Lambs Fed Graded Levels of Alkali -Treated Neem Kernel Cake

The study was conducted to evaluate the effect of feeding alkali- treated neem kernel cake (ATNKC) on haematological and biochemical parameters of Uda lambs. It was conducted at the Teaching and Research Farm of Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto with 20 male Uda lambs. The experimental animals were allotted (n=5) to diets A, B, C, D and E with 0%, 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% levels of inclusion of ATNKC, respectively. The experiment lasted for 84days. Blood samples were collected at the end of the experiment for analyses of haematological and biochemical parameters. Haematological and biochemical parameters of the experimental animals on control and test diets were normal. The mean values for per cell volume (PCV), haemoglobin concentration (Hb) and red blood cell (RBC) in treatments E, D, C and B were not significantly (P>0.05) different from treatment A which served as the control. However, the white blood cell value in treatment A (11.67x109l) was similar to the values in treatments E (9.70 x109l), B (9.67 x109l ) and C(9.53 x109l) but significantly (P<0.05) different that of treatment D(8.90 x109). The values for neutrophil, eosinophil and basophil in the control treatment were not significantly (P>0.05) different from the test treatment except lymphocytes and monocytes. For biochemical parameters, the values to total protein, albumin, globulin, SGPT, total bilirubin and conjugated bilirubin in the control and test treatment did not show any significant (P>0.05) difference except in SGOT and unconjugated bilirubin. Urea nitrogen concentration, Creatinine and potassium values did not show any significant (P>0.05) difference between the control and test treatments. It was recommended in the study that alkali treated neem kernel cake can be safely included in feed of sheep up to 20% levels for lambs.Keywords: Uda lambs; Alkali- treated neem kernel cake; haematological and biochemical parametersNigerian Journal of Basic and Applied Science (2011), 19(2): 277-28

Malaria in Sokoto, North Western Nigeria

Malaria remains a major cause of mortality among children under the age of five years; it is endemic throughout Nigeria with seasonal variation in different geographic zones of the country. Malaria prevalence studies had been undertaken in many parts of Nigeria but there is probably no dataavailable from the far North Western region. This research study was undertaken to determine the prevalence, monthly distribution of malaria in Sokoto, North Western Nigeria in order to generate baseline information. A total of 1,297 blood samples were collected by simple random sampling, from patients attending the two health centres over the twelve calendar months. Thick and thin blood films were Giemsa stained and observed for the presence of malaria parasites. A total of 354 (27.29%) werepositive for malaria parasites with the highest prevalence rate being recorded in the month of August with 72 (59.5%) positive cases and the month of March having the least infection rate of 9 (9.18%). Theinfection rate according to gender showed that males had the higher infection rate of 192 (n = 635) or 30.24% than the females who had a total 162 infection (n = 662) or 24.47%. The age group 0 - 5 years hadthe highest infection rate of 123 (43.77%) while the age group 36 - 40 years had the least infection rate of 10 (9.8%). The study has revealed the presence of malaria transmission throughout the year in Sokoto, North Western Nigeria and the infection rate can be considered as moderately high

Brucellosis in camels (Camelus dromedaries) slaughtered in Sokoto, northwestern Nigeria

The sero-prevalence of brucellosis in camel was determined in Sokoto State Abattoir of Northwestern Nigeria. Out of the 329 blood samples screened over a period of 52 weeks, 37 (11.42%) were found to be positive to Rose Bengal Plate test (RBPT), serum agglutination test (SAT) and competitive Elisa. Nineteen (10.10%) out of 188 females and 18 (12.78%) out of 141 male were positive. The highest prevalence of (12.4%) was recorded in the age band of 5.5 -10 years of age, while dry season recorded the highest prevalence of 15.07% among the seasons. Since brucellosis is a zoonotic disease, it is important to include camels in vaccination programs against the disease. Keywords: Sero-prevalence; brucellosis; Camels; Zoonotic; Brucella abortus; NigeriaAnimal Production Research Advances Vol. 2 (3) 2006: pp. 158-16

Phytochemical analysis and antibacterial activity of Khaya senegalensis bark extracts on Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli and Proteus mirabilis

The aqueous and ethanol extracts of the bark of Khaya senegalensis were screened for their phytochemical constituents and preliminary antibacterial activity against Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli and Proteus mirabilis. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the plant on the tested organisms was determined using multiple tubes method.Alkaloids, anthraquinones, glycosides, tannins and steroids were detected in both extracts.The ethanol and aqueous extracts of the plant showed antibacterial activity against B. subtilis and E. coli, with the aqueous extracts having more activity than those of ethanol. However the growth of P. mirabilis was not inhibited by either of the extracts. The MIC value was determined to be 50 mg/ml for B. subtilis and E. coli. The results are suggestive of considerable antibacterial activity of K. senegalensis and may justify its use in the treatment of bacterial diseases by herbalists or traditional healers