Oxidative stress biomarkers in West African Dwarf goats reared under intensive and semi-intensive production systems

This study explored the variation in physiological oxidative status of West African Dwarf (WAD) goats as the rainy season progressed in a humid climate in south-west Nigeria. A total of 24 growing WAD bucks, averaging 10.5 kg + 0.78 liveweight, were reared under intensive and semi-intensive management systems during the rainy season. Twelve (12) bucks were used for each management system. Animals raised intensively were fed Megathyrsus maximus hay ad libitum, while those reared semi-intensively were allowed to graze freely in a fenced paddock. Their diets were supplemented with a maize grain-based concentrate. Blood samples were collected at the onset of the experiment and fortnightly throughout the 16-week experimental period. Oxidative stress biomarkers in blood were measured and analysed separately for each rearing system using repeated measures analysis. Means of oxidative stress biomarkers measured at the beginning and end of the rainy season were compared using a T-test. Results showed that intensively managed goats had significantly higher levels of bilirubin and uric acid in the early season than in the late rainy season. In semi-intensively managed goats, bilirubin, uric acid, and glutathione (GSH) levels were significantly higher at the start compared with the end of the rainy season. It could be concluded that the antioxidant capacity of WAD goats was greater early in the rainy season compared with the late rainy season under both management systems. Thus, during the early raining season WAD goats tend to have higher antioxidant capacity and, consequently, better immune responses, while the opposite is true during the late rainy season.Keywords: bucks, immune response, seaso

Magnesium nitrate as dietary additive in the nutrition of West African Dwarf goat

Doce cabras de raza Enana Africana Occidental (WAD) fueron usadas para un ensayo de alimentación durante ocho semanas para investigar el papel del nitrato de magnesio como aditivo dietético en la nutrición de las cabras. Cuatro niveles (0; 0,5; 1,0 y 1,5 p.100) de nitrato magnésico fueron empleados para obtener dietas que contenían 0,21; 0,32; 0,45 y 0,65 p.100 de Mg. Los resultados indicaron que los animales que recibían la dieta 4 aunque consumieron la menor cantidad de materia seca (0,282 kg/día), consiguieron la mejor ganancia diaria de peso (39 g/día), índice de conversión de pienso, magnesio en el suero (3,10 mg/100 ml) y retención de magnesio (0,160 g/kg peso corporal). La producción y retención de magnesio con las otras dietas fue significativamente menor. El nitrato de magnesio puede por eso ser utilizado hasta un 1,5 p.100 en la ración para aumentar la ingestión de magnesio sin ningún efecto adverso para una mejor eficacia de las cabras WAD

Magnesium nitrate as dietary additive in the nutrition of West African Dwarf goat

Doce cabras de raza Enana Africana Occidental (WAD) fueron usadas para un ensayo de alimentación durante ocho semanas para investigar el papel del nitrato de magnesio como aditivo dietético en la nutrición de las cabras. Cuatro niveles (0; 0,5; 1,0 y 1,5 p.100) de nitrato magnésico fueron empleados para obtener dietas que contenían 0,21; 0,32; 0,45 y 0,65 p.100 de Mg. Los resultados indicaron que los animales que recibían la dieta 4 aunque consumieron la menor cantidad de materia seca (0,282 kg/día), consiguieron la mejor ganancia diaria de peso (39 g/día), índice de conversión de pienso, magnesio en el suero (3,10 mg/100 ml) y retención de magnesio (0,160 g/kg peso corporal). La producción y retención de magnesio con las otras dietas fue significativamente menor. El nitrato de magnesio puede por eso ser utilizado hasta un 1,5 p.100 en la ración para aumentar la ingestión de magnesio sin ningún efecto adverso para una mejor eficacia de las cabras WAD

Cryosurvival of goat spermatozoa in tris-egg yolk extender supplemented with vitamin E

The effect of vitamin E supplementation in tris-egg yolk extender on sperm parameters of West African Dwarf (WAD) goat bucks was determined. Tris-egg yolk extenders supplemented with different levels of vitamin E (2, 4, 6 and 8 mM) were diluted with semen samples. The diluted semen samples were cryopreserved for 30 days and thereafter evaluated for sperm quality parameters. The results showed higher (P<0.05) sperm motility, acrosome integrity, membrane integrity, live sperm, acrosome reaction and capacitation, and reduced sperm abnormality in extenders supplemented with vitamin E compared to the control. These parameters were better sustained in extenders supplemented with 6 mM and 8 mM (P<0.05). Lower concentrations of malondialdehyde (MDA) were observed at 6 mM and 8 mM compared to the control (P<0.05). Higher percentages of acrosome reaction and capacitation were observed in extenders supplemented with vitamin E compared to the control (P<0.05). Optimal percent (P<0.05) of acrosome reaction and capacitation were observed in extenders supplemented with 6 mM and 8 mM of vitamin. The findings revealed that supplementation of vitamin E at 6 mM and 8 mM in tris-egg yolk extenders were effective for improving sperm parameters of WAD goat bucks during cryopreservation.Keywords: Antioxidants, bucks, freezing, oxidative stress, sper

Evaluation of different combinations of palm kernel cake - and cotton seed cake - based diets on the performance of West African Dwarf goats

An experiment was carried out using 15 West African Dwarf goats (8 - 10kg body weight) to investigate the comparative performance of the animals when different combinations of palm kernel cake and cotton seed cake were contained in their diets. Results indicated that 40% palm kernel cake (zero cotton seed cake) in the diets significantly induced better feed utilization for gain (100g/d) and feed conversion ratio (3.70), least total dry matter intake (4.8% body weight) and least water consumption (40ml/ w0.75 kg; P>0.05) than other combinations. The least crude protein (15.5%) and the highest metabolizable energy (8.37MJ/kg) diet (40% PKC) provoked the fastest growth rate (100g/d) in the animals. Concentrate intake was higher in all the treatments than grass intake. The blood glucose, total blood protein, blood urea nitrogen and cost per kg body weight (18.3, 13.3, 31.0mg/dl and N33.8 (0.4 US dollar), respectively) were significantly lower in goats fed sole palm kernel cake based diets than those fed combinations of palm kernel cake and cottonseed cake. It is concluded that palm kernel cake alone (without any combination with cottonseed cake) is adequate as protein source in compounding protein supplements for West African Dwarf goats for profitable performance.Keywords: Palm kernel cake, cotton seed cake, goats, performance

Effects of selected multipurpose, medicinal and aromatic plants on in vitro methane production and microbial diversity

The study was carried out to evaluate the effects of selected multipurpose, medicinal and aromatic plants on the in vitro methane production and microbial diversity. The plants include multi-purpose trees; Pterocarpus santallinoides, Leucaena leucocephala, Albizia lebbek, Albizia saman, Enterolobium cyclocarpum, Gliricidia sepium, Milletia griffoniana, Ficus thonningii; Aromatic plants: Ocimum basilicum, Vernonia amygdalina, Aspillia africana and Medicinal plants: Moringa oleifera, Cymbopogon citratus and Alternanthera repens. Leaf samples were collected for determination of chemical analysis, in vitro gas production and microbial analyses. Data on chemical composition were subjected to one-way analysis of variance, while data on in vitro microbial analyses was subjected to phylogeny analysis using the parsimony software. Methanogenspecific primers Met86F and Met1340R were designed to identify methanogens. There were significant differences (P<0.05) in dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), crude fibre (CF) ether extract (EE), ash contents, neutral detergent fibre (NDF), acid detergent fibre (ADF) and lignin contents of plants. The DM values (P<0.05) ranged from 168 g/kg in V. amygdalina to 395 g/kg in P. santalinoides and the lowest (P<0.05) CP value of 23.6 g/kg was obtained in O. basillicum. Least (P<0.05) methane production was obtained from A. repens and P. santallinoides with 4.45% and 12.62% respectively. Polymerase chain reaction analyses of DNA extracts revealed that Methanobrevibacter spp. were dominant. Other detected methanogens include Methanobacteriales archaeon spp. and Methanoplasmatales spp. Eight samples of the methanogenic archaea were at least 78 to 99% similar to Methanobrevibacter spp. Three samples were at least 83 to 97% similar to Bacteriodetes bacterium clone. Two samples were at least 85 to 98% similar to Methanobacteriales archaeon spp. Moringa oleifera sample revealed 99% similarity with 16S rDNA in Methanobrevibacter spp. It is concluded that Methanobrevibacter spp. is the predominant methanogen and A. repens supressed methanogenesis.Keywords: Multipurpose, medicinal, aromatic plants, in vitro, methanogens, phylogen

Effects of supplementing cassava peels with cassava leaves and cowpea haulms on the rumen environment and blood profile parameters of West African dwarf goats

This experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of supplementing cassava peels with cassava leaves and cowpea haulms on rumen fermentation and blood metabolites of West African dwarf (WAD) goats. Thirty West African dwarf bucks aged 8±1.3 months with an average body weight of 6.06±0.02 kg were used in a completely randomized experiment. The goats were randomly assigned to one of the five dietary treatments which consisted of milled cassava peels, cassava leaves and cowpea haulms in different ratios of 700:100:175 (T1); 500:200:275 (T2); 300:300:375 (T3) and 100:400:475 (T4) g/kg DM respectively. A standard diet formulated to meet the nutrient requirements of the animals with no cassava and cowpea haulms was used as the control diet (T5). Data collected was subjected to analysis of variance using the general linear model procedure of SAS. The results obtained indicated that the highest dietary crude protein was obtained in treatment 5 (206 g/kg) followed by treatment 4 (200 g/kg). Treatment 1 had higher neutral detergent fibre (660 g/kg) and hydrocyanide (30.00 mg/kg) contents. At 0 hr post-feeding, NH3-N values significantly ranged (L, Q, C: pEste experimento se realizó para evaluar los efectos de suplementar peladuras de yuca con hojas de yuca y tallos de caupí sobre la fermentación del rumen y metabolitos sanguíneos de cabras Enanas de África Occidental (WAD). Treinta machos de 8±1,3 meses con un peso corporal medio de 6,06±0,02 kg fueron usados en un experimento completamente al azar. Las cabras fueron asignadas aleatoriamente de a 1 de 5 tratamientos dietarios que consistian de peladuras de yuca molidas, hojas de yuca y tallos de caupí en diferentes proporciones 700:100:175 (T1); 500:200:275 (T2); 300:300:375 (T3) y 100:400:475 (T4) g/kg de materia seca respectivamente. Una dieta estandar formulada para atender las necesidades nutritivas de los animales sin yuca ni tallos de caupí fue empleada como dieta control (T5). Los datos obtenidos fueron sometidos a análisis de varianza usando el procedimiento del SAS modelo lineal general. Los resultados obtenidos indicaron que la mayor cantidad de proteína bruta dietética fue obtenida en el tratamiento 5 (206 g/kg) seguido por el tratamiento 4 (200 g/kg). El tratamiento 1 presentó mayor contenido de fibra neutrodetergente (660 g/kg) y cianuros (30 mg/kg). En el momento de la administración los valores de NH3-N significativamente se ordenaron (L, Q, C:

Effect of weight and strain on the egg component utilization and embryonic weight during incubation

The study was conducted to determine the effect of egg size on egg components utilization and embryonic weight during incubation of Dominant Black (DB) and Yaffa Brown (YB) strains of pullet eggs. A total of 810 hatching pullet eggs (405 eggs per strain) were grouped into three egg sizes (small, medium and large) per strain resulting in six treatment groups which were replicated three times with 45 eggs per replicate. Two eggs per replicate were used to determine the embryonic, albumen and yolk weight on each of the days 1, 7, 10, 15, and 18 of incubation resulting into a total of 180 eggs. Data obtained were subjected to analysis of variance in a 2 x 3 factorial experimental layout. Results revealed a significant (p<0.05) increase in albumen percentage as egg weight increased (r = 0.93) in both strains before incubation. The albumen weight decreased steadily to zero from day 1 till the end of incubation while the rate of yolk weight did not show the same pattern. The ranged values of albumen percentage for large, medium and small eggs were; 58.89 ± 10.78 to 1.75 ± 0.56, 56.83 ± 0.55 to 0.61 ± 0.28 and 54.04 ± 1.81 to 5.42 ± 0.89, respectively. At 18 th day, the embryonic weights of both medium and large-sized eggs (28.56 and 28.80 g, respectively) were significantly (p<0.05) higher than small-sized eggs (22.54). It could be concluded that the rate of albumen utilization during incubation influenced the embryonic weight (r = –0.97). Also the high content of yolk when compared with that of albumen towards the end of incubation in the three groups could result from the need for energy and protein by the developing embryo after hatching before access to any feedSe determinó el efecto del tamaño sobre la utilización de los componentes del huevo y peso embrionario durante la incubación de huevos de las líneas Dominant Black (DB) y Yaffa Brown (YB). Un total de 810 huevos (405 por línea), fueron agrupados en tres tamaños por línea (pe- queños, medios y grandes) dispuestos en seis grupos experimentales con tres replicaciones de 45 huevos cada una. Un total de 180 huevos, dos por repetición, fueron usados para determinar el peso de albumen y yema embrionarios los días 1, 7, 10, 15 y 18 de la incubación. Los resultados fueron sometidos a análisis de varianza en una disposición factorial 2 x 3. En ambas líneas, antes de la incubación, se registró un aumento (p<0,05) del porcentaje de albumen al hacerlo el peso del huevo (r = 0,93). El peso del albumen disminuyó hasta cero de forma sostenida desde el día 1 hasta el final de la incubación, aunque la proporción de yema no siguió el mismo modelo. Los rangos de porcentaje de albumen fueron los siguientes de 58,89 ± 10,78 a 1,75 ± 0,56, para los huevos grandes, de 56,83 ± 0,55 a 0,61 ± 0,28, para los medianos y de 54,04 ± 1,81 a 5,42 ± 0,89 para los pequeños. El día 18 los pesos embrionarios de los huevos medianos y grandes (28,56 y 28,80 g, respectivamente) fueron (p<0,05) mayores que los de los huevos pequeños (25,24). La tasa de utilización del albumen durante la incubación influ- yó sobre el peso embrionario (r = –0,97). Asimismo el alto contenido de yema respecto al albumen hacia el final de la incubación, en los tres grupos, sería la consecuencia de las necesidades de energía y proteína del embrión en desarrollo, después de la incubación, antes de acceder a algún alimento

The impact of extraction methods on chemical composition and phytochemical constituents of common browse plants and selected tree species

This study investigated the effects of different extraction process on chemical composition, in-vitro and methane gas production of selected browse plants and tree species (Albizzia lebbeck, Enterolobium cyplocarpum, Millettia grifoniana, Moringa oleifera and  Pterocarpus santalinoides) which were collected from the vicinity of Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Ogun State, Nigeria during late dry season. Samples collected were air-dried for 14 days after which they were milled, ground and  packaged for further analysis.  Phytochemical constituents, In vitro gas production, fibre fractions and crude protein content were assessed using standard procedures. Data collected were subjected to ANOVA using SAS. Results revealed that Millettia  grifoniana recorded the lowest gas production value while Moringa oleifera produced the highest value throughout 72 hours of incubation. Albizzia lebbeck had highest DM (891.7 g/kg) while Moringa oleifera had highest CP (161.7 g/kg), ash (81.7 g/kg) and EE (165.6 g/kg) contents. Diethylextracted Pterocarpus santalinoides had highest NDF (680.0 g/kg) and hemicellulose content (360.0 g/kg) while water-extracted Pterocarpus santalinoides had highest ADF (5520.0 g/kg) and cellulose content (366.7 g/kg). Highest (p&lt;0.05) tannin contents were observed in Diethyl-extracted Albizzia lebbeck (0.08%) and Millettia  grifoniana (0.08%) while water-extracted Moringa oleifera produced highest  phenols. It was concluded that Moringa oleifera proves to be the best due to its high in vitro gas production, reduced methane production, high protein content and  reduced fibre fraction. Furthermore, all plants investigated, except Pterocarpus  santalinoides, can serve as supplement in ruminants feeding.Keywords: Browse plants, Gas production, Albizia, Anti-nutrients, Fibre fraction

Degradabilidad ruminal comparativa de forrajes, subproductos y corteza de baobab en la oveja

La velocidad e intensidad de la degradabilidad fueron mayores (p<0,01) en residuos de trigo (80,7 p.100), Stylosanthes hamata (70,9 p.100) y Tephrosia bracteolata (54,1 p.100), que en la corteza de baobab (Adansonia digitata) (27,7 p.100) y salvado de arroz (26,5 p.100) y aumentaron (p<0,01) con el tiempo de incubacion