The Value of Cassava for Growth of Sheep

Three experiments were conducted to investigate the value of cassava for sheep feeding. In Experiment 1 twelve Nigerian Dwarf sheep between five and six months of age, ranging in liveweight from 6 to 14 kg were randomly allotted by sex and weight to three experimental treatments. The treatment groups received either a maize-groundnut meal control diet, a fresh cassava + poultry litter mixture that had been ensiled and later mixed with protein supplement, or dried cassava-groundnut meal diet, during the 70-day experimental period.In Experiment 2, unpeeled fresh cassava roots of the high HCN variety were used to replace maize in lamb diets. Fresh cassava was fed mixed daily with a protein supplement to the first treatment group while the other group received a maize-based control diet, over a 56-day period. In Experiment 3 the apparent digestibility of the nutrients in the unpeeled fresh roots, dried roots and peels were investigated.The results of the three experiments indicated that total replacement of maize with either dried total replacement of maize with either dried cassava, cassava ensiled with poultry litter or unpeeled fresh roots for growing lambs gave responses equal to the control diet. Ensiling of fresh cassava roots destroyed 99% of the HCN while the addition of poultry litter increased the crude protein content of the silage by about 270% when compared with the unpeeled fresh roots and by about 435% when compared with ensiled roots to which no poultry litter was added. All the nutrients in cassava roots, except crude protein were well digested by sheep. Ether extract digestibility was however generally low. In all cases no symptoms of toxicity were noticed

The West African Dwarf Sheep II. Carcass Traits Mutton Quality

Carcasses of thirty African Dwarf ewes had a yield of 42.5%, about 5mm backfat thickness and a loin eye of about 8cm2 primal cuts made up of 85% of the carcass. The best carcasses came from ewes slaughtered between two and four years of age. Average composition of retail cuts was 66.5% muscle, 26.5% bone and 7.0% fat.Young ewes were superior to young rams both in dressing percent (yield) and primal cuts. The ewes dressed 44% as compared to 40%; their total retail cuts contained 67% muscle and 26% bone against 65% and 28% respectively for rams.Compared with mutton sheep of the temperate zone the West African Dwarf stand only 4/5 as high and are 2/3 as long, while weighing only 1/4 to 1/3 that of European sheep. Yet the leg, the preferred cut, was 36% of the dressed carcass as compared to European mutton

Composition of Two Local Cassava Varieties and the Effect of Processing on their Hydrocyanic Acid content and nutrient digestibility by the Rat

Two common Nigerian cassava varieties were subjected to proximate analysis with a view to assessing the relative potential nutrient composition of the roots, stems, leaves and seeds. The results obtained shaved that the leaves, seeds and stems in that order are much richer than the roots in protein but higher in crude fibre. There was a relationship between the crude protein contents of the roots and stems and the hydrocyanic acid (HCN) content of the plant while that of the leaves and seeds did not appear to follow the same trend.HCN of the bitter cassava variety was considerably higher in the whole tuber, pulp and peel than in the sweet strain. Sundrying and ensiling resulted in appreciable losses of HCN. Grated root lost about half its HCN content within six hours while stored whole roots showed a rapid decline in HCN from the fifth day after harvest. Apparent digestibility coefficients (A.D>C.) of the major nutrients of cassava roots were not significantly (P<0.05) affected by the processes of boiling of sundrying