A note on concentrate: legume hay ratio in fattening yankasa sheep.

Twenty Yankasa rams, about 1.5 years and weighing between 20 and 25kg were randomly alloted to four treatment group of 5 animals each. The groups were used to study the effect of feeding concentrate and groundnut haulms in the ratio of 0:1 (A); 1:1 (B); 1:3 (C); 3:1 (D) on feedlot performance. All animals were fed at 4% of body weight in individual pens through the 86 day experimental period. Total dry matter intake was significantly (P<0.05) highest for Group D and lowest for Group A. It costs least to feed Group A animals but cost of feed per weight gain was least for Group D. Liveweight gain was highest for Group D, which utilized feed most efficiently.Key words: Fattening, Yankasa, Sheep, Concentrate, Legume, hay

Effect of the addition of maize milling waste and groundnut haulms on the degradation characteristics of rice straw and maize husks

EFFET DU COMPLEMENT DE RESIDUS DES MOUTURES DE MAÏS ET DES FANES D'ARACHIDE SUR LES CARACTERISTIQUES DE DEGRADATION DE LA PAILLE DE RIZ ET DES ENVELOPPES DE L'EPI DE MAÏS Résumé On a utilisé quatre béliers Yankasa x Balami entiers, qui portaient des canules au rumen. Ils étaient soumis à quatre régimes selon un dispositif factoriel 2 x 4. Ci-après les régimes servis : paille de riz traitée (PRT) + fanes d'arachide (FA) + résidus des moutures de maïs (RMM) (T- 1) ; PRT + FA (T-2) ; paille de riz non-traitée (PRN) + FA + RMM ( T-3) et PRN + FA (T-4). PRT et RMM étaient servis à raison de 20 g/kg poids vif et FA à raison de 100 g/animal/jour. Ces régimes ont créé quatre différents milieux ambiants du rumen et ce, pour évaluer la dégradabilité de la matière sèche (g/100 g MS) de la paille de riz traitée et non-traitée ou de l'enveloppe de l'épi de maïs dans le rumen après différentes périodes d'incubation in-sacco et pour évaluer également la concentration d'ammonium dans le rumen (CAR) (mg/100 ml) et le pH dans le liquide du rumen. Les dégradabilités de la matière sèche (g/100 g MS) après 48 heures d'incubation in-sacco étaient de : 52,99 ; 47,99 ; 45,78 et 39,83% pour PRN ; 63,84 ; 57,31 ; 43,80 et 49,35% pour PRT ; 34,25 ; 40,09 ; 49,23 et 38,77% pour l'enveloppe de l'épi de maïs non-traitée et 56,06 ; 74,17 ; 61,83 et 51,65% pour l'enveloppe de l'épi de maïs traitée. La CAR (mg NH3/100 ml) et les valeurs pH 4 heures après l'alimentation pour T-1 ; T-2 ; T-3 et T-4 étaient de : 6,91 et 6,35 ; 7,57 et 6,48 ; 9,22 et 6,50 et 13,17 et 6,63 respectivement. L'utilisation de la dégradabilité éventuelle comme indice de la qualité du fourrage et de l'efficacité de la digestion dans le rumen a permis de noter que l'enveloppe de l'épi de maïs traitée semblait plus dégradable que la paille de riz traitée. Summary Four intact Yankasa x Balami rams fitted with rumen cannulae were used. They were given four diets in a 2x4 factorial design. The diets were: Treated Rice Straw (TRS) + groundnut haulms (GNH) + MMW (Maize Milling Waste) (T-1); TRS + GNH (T-2); Untreated Rice Straw (URS) + GNH + MMW (T-3) and URS + GNH (T-4). Both TRS and MMW were fed at the rate of 20g/kg body weight while GNH was fed at the rate of 100g/ head/day. These diets created four different rumen environments for measuring the dry matter degradability (g/100g DM) of treated and untreated rice straw or maize husk in the rumen after different in-sacco incubation times and also to measure both the Rumen Ammonia Concentration (RAC) (mg/100ml) and pH of the rumen liquor. The dry matter degradabilities (g/100g DM) after 48 hrs in-sacco incubations were: 52.99, 47.99, 45.78 and 39.83% for URS; 63.84, 57.31, 43.80 and 49.35% for TRS; 34.25, 40.09, 49.23 and 38.77% for UMH; and 56.06, 74.17, 61.83 and 51.65% for TMH. The RAC (mgNH3/100ml) and pH values 4 hrs post feeding for T-1, T-2, T-3, and T-4 were: 6.91 and 6.35; 7.57 and 6.48; 9.22 and 6.50; and 13.17 and 6.63 respectively. Using potential degradability (PD) as an index of forage quality and efficiency of rumen digestion, treated maize husks appeared to be more degradable than treated rice straw. Bull Anim. Hlth. Prod. Afr. Vol.52(3) 2004: 176-18

Effect of supplementation on the milk yield and composition of Red Sokoto does

Twenty-eight Red Sokoto does were supplemented with crop residue-based and concentrate rations at 1 and 2% of body weight in a 7-treatment completely randomised block design experiment. Average daily milk yield, total milk yield, total lactation length and milk composition were monitored and subjected to least squares analysis to test the effect of treatment. Results indicated that Ration 1C which comprised of mainly crop residue with much lesser protein levels than the concentrate rations (1A and 2A), produced 54kg of milk over a 90-day lactation period averaging 0.60 kg per day. At the other extreme, the negative control ration (Green grass and Digitaria hay) contained the least protein and dams that fed on it had the shortest lactation length (41 days), and therefore least total and average daily milk yields (10.2 and 0.25kg, respectively). It was evident that in absolute terms, milk from does on Ration 2A contained the highest percentages of fat (6%), protein (6.33%), total solids (21.85%) and SNF (15.85%). As expected, milk from does on the negative control ration ranked least with respect to all the parameters studied. It was concluded that Ration C fed at 1% level is a good supplementary feed package for increased milk production in Red Sokoto goats because it competes favourably with conventional concentrate rations. It also gives milk with lower fat content than conventional concentrate rations which from a consumer point of view, is healthy and desirable