Effect of tanniniferous browse meal on nematode faecal egg counts and internal parasite burdens in sheep and goats

The effect of tanniniferous browse meal on faecal egg counts (FEC) and intestinal worm burdens was investigated in sheep and goats infested experimentally with gastrointestinal nematodes. Initially, leaves of different browse tree species were assayed for condensed tannin (CT) content using a colorimetric method to determine concentration and seasonal variations. The level of CT in the leaves ranged between 58 – 283 g/kg dry matter. Seasonal changes in CT levels were influenced by stage of leaf maturity with peak levels after the wet season in June. Leaves of Acacia polyacantha had the highest tannin concentration and were used to test their anthelmintic effect in goats and sheep infested with the nematodes in two separate feeding trials. In Trial 1 an acacia leaf meal supplement (AMS) was offered at 100 – 130 g/animal/day for 20 days to growing Small East African goats to investigate its effect on FEC and worm burden. Mean FEC and worm burden of the AMS-fed group were respectively 27% and 13% lower than in the control group. Trial 2 was similar to Trial 1 except that AMS was offered for 30 days to growing Black Head Persian sheep at 170 g/animal/day. The sheep receiving AMS showed a slight reduction in FEC (on average 19% lower than the control group) but had no effect on worm burden. The current results substantiated previous reports of a suppressing effect of CT on gastrointestinal nematodes of small ruminants. Although the observed anthelmintic activity of AMS was less than expected, such reductions can have practical epidemiological implications in reducing pasture larval contamination. Further studies are needed under field conditions to evaluate the feasibility of using locally available tanniniferous browse as an alternative to synthetic anthelmintics in reducing worm infestations in small ruminants. South African Journal of Animal Science Vol. 37 (2) 2007: pp. 97-10

Preliminary Evaluation of Slaughter Value and Carcass Composition of Indigenous Sheep and Goats from Traditional Production System in Tanzania

The aim of the pilot study was to evaluate slaughter characteristics and carcass composition of indigenous long fat tailed sheep and Small East African goats purchased from the auction markets slaughtered at 1.5 to 2 yrs of age and 20 kg to 25 kg live weight. The animals were slaughtered according to halal standard procedures. The left half carcasses were jointed into eight wholesale joints, and dissected into muscles, fat and bone, which were weighed separately. Sheep had greater (p<0.05) slaughter BW (22.29 kg vs 20.50 kg) and empty BW (20.17 kg vs 18.67 kg) than goats (p<0.05). Dressing percentages were lower (p<0.001) in sheep than goats when carcass weight was expressed as percentage of slaughter BW (42.31% and 47.15%) and empty BW (46.75% and 51.79%). Sheep carcasses had lower (p<0.001) proportion (66.18% vs 71.64%) of muscles and higher (p<0.001) proportion of fat (7.41% vs 3.44%) than goat carcasses. Sheep had proportionally lighter (p<0.001) shoulder (18.89% vs 22.68%) and heavier (p<0.05) proportion of chump (7.916% vs 6.76%) and main rib (8.12% vs 7.07%). Sheep had more (p<0.001) muscles in the leg (28.83% vs 27.08%) and main rib (7.62% vs 6.36%) than goats. Sheep had less (p<0.001) muscles (20.28% vs 23.56%) in shoulder joints when expressed as percentage of total muscle of carcasses. It is concluded that there are differences in sheep and goat both in terms of carcass and joint yields and composition. The present study also implies that there is need to consider setting different meat cuts and prices for these cuts when one takes into account the differences in muscle distribution within joints in sheep and goats

The Effect of Processing Method of Dolichos Bean (Lablab purpureus L. Sweet) on the Digestibility and Perfonnance of Growing-finishing pigs

Tanzania Journal of Agricultural Sciences (TAJAS), 1998; I (2): 121-130A 4 x 4 Latin sqf!.are experiment was carried out using 4 bancows to investigate the effect of processing method on the digestibility ofnutrients of dolichos beans and nitrogen retention in pigs. Four diets were formulated to contain the control diet with 0.09 soybean meal or 0.33 of the control diet and O. 67 of each of either raw, boiled or roasted dolichos bean meal in diets I, II, III and IV, respectively. In another experiment, four diets were formulated such that O. 18 of raw (Diet 2), boiled (Diet 3) or roasted (Diet 4) dolichos bean meals replaced the 0.09 soybean meal contained in the contro[,(Diet I). These diets were ded to 12female and 12 castrated male pigs in a 4 x 2 factorial arrangement. Feed intake, growth performance and slaughter characteristics were evaluated. Mean values of crude protein digestability and nitrogen retention in the raw dolichos meal (50.6% and 18g/d) were relatively lower than in the processed meals (p ~ 0.05). The' corresponding values for boiled dolichos meal were higher (p < 0.05) than those of roasted meal (73.6% versus 65.2% and 12.8g/dversus 8. 7g/d)~ Animals fed on the raw dolichos diet (Diet 2) had significantly lower growth rates and poorer feed conversion ratio. The two parameters were improved on the animals fed on heat-treated dolichos diets. It was concluded that thermC!-processing, particularly boiling greatly improved nutrient availability and overall utilisation of dolichos bean meal for pigs

The Effect of Processing Method of Dolichos Bean (Lablab purpureus L. Sweet) on the Digestibility and Perfonnance of Growing-finishing pigs

Tanzania Journal of Agricultural Sciences (TAJAS), 1998; I (2): 121-130A 4 x 4 Latin sqf!.are experiment was carried out using 4 bancows to investigate the effect of processing method on the digestibility ofnutrients of dolichos beans and nitrogen retention in pigs. Four diets were formulated to contain the control diet with 0.09 soybean meal or 0.33 of the control diet and O. 67 of each of either raw, boiled or roasted dolichos bean meal in diets I, II, III and IV, respectively. In another experiment, four diets were formulated such that O. 18 of raw (Diet 2), boiled (Diet 3) or roasted (Diet 4) dolichos bean meals replaced the 0.09 soybean meal contained in the contro[,(Diet I). These diets were ded to 12female and 12 castrated male pigs in a 4 x 2 factorial arrangement. Feed intake, growth performance and slaughter characteristics were evaluated. Mean values of crude protein digestability and nitrogen retention in the raw dolichos meal (50.6% and 18g/d) were relatively lower than in the processed meals (p ~ 0.05). The' corresponding values for boiled dolichos meal were higher (p < 0.05) than those of roasted meal (73.6% versus 65.2% and 12.8g/dversus 8. 7g/d)~ Animals fed on the raw dolichos diet (Diet 2) had significantly lower growth rates and poorer feed conversion ratio. The two parameters were improved on the animals fed on heat-treated dolichos diets. It was concluded that thermC!-processing, particularly boiling greatly improved nutrient availability and overall utilisation of dolichos bean meal for pigs