No abstract

No abstract

SummarySixteen West African Dwarf Goats (WADG) were used to study the feeding behaviour and diet selection. The animals were offered freshly cut stems with leaves and fruiting bodies of Gliricidia sepium, Leucaena leueoeephala and Panicum maximum. The feeding behaviour of the goats was observed and recorded whilst the preference of the animals for each diet was also monitored. Data were collected on feed intake, number of bites per minutes, and preference for each of the forages. The data on feed intake were subjeeted to one-way analysis of variance. Within 30 minutes into the feeding period, it was observed that the goats concentrated on Leucaena leueoeephala which they stmggled over for favoured positions leading to hörn locking. The animals first smelt the different plants took a bite before concentrating on a particular forage. The animals usually consumed fruiting bodies and leaves of leucaena before eating the other two forages. The mean number of bites per goat per minute was 10, 8 and 6 for gliricidia, leucaena and panicum respectively. The animals exhibited bi-pedal stance during feeding. Analysis of variance showed forage intake to be significantly different (P< 0.05) among the forages. Proximate analysis of the three forages indicated that leucaena had a higher quantity of dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP) and ether extract. (EE) compared to the other two forages, while panicum had higher CF, lower CP, ash and EE content compared to gliricidia and leucaena. IntroductionIn Nigeria, goats and sheep contribute about 30% of the total meat consumption. The goats in Nigeria represent an important source of meat and the demand for goat meat is

No abstract

Sixteen West African Dwarf (WAD) goats of 8.3kg average weight were used for the study which was designed to evaluate the effect of feeding varying levels of leucaena and gliricidia on the growth rate, feed intake and digestibility of WAD goats. The animals were randomly allocated to four treatments. In the first treatment, the animals were fed 25% leucaena while in the second, third and fourth treatments they were fed 50%, 75% and 100% leucaena respectively complimented with gliricidia. Data were taken on feed intake, body weights and digestibility. Urine samples of individual animals were also collected to determine the toxicity level of the leucaena inclusion in diets. The data were analysed using one-way analysis of variance. The results of the study showed that feed intake, body weight gain and dry matter digestibility increased with increase in % leucaena in the diet up to 75% without any deleterious mimosine effects on the animals. Animals on treatment III had the highest growth rate of 28.57+0.06g/head/day while treatment II had the lowest 15.31+0.04g/head/day). From the study, it can be concluded that WAD goats can consume up to 75% leucaena in the diet for optimal feed intake and growth rate.