Bodyweight and carcass characteristics of somali goats fed hay supplemented with graded levels of peanut cake and wheat bran mixture

Abstract

The experiment was conducted for ninety days of feeding trial at Haramaya University, Ethiopia using twenty four yearling male Somali goats weighing 20.4 +/- 2.02 (mean +/- SD) with the objectives to evaluate the effect of supplementation of peanut cake and wheat bran mixture (3:1) on body weight (BW) gain and carcass characteristics of Somali goats. The experiment was arranged with six blocks and four treatments in a randomized complete block design. The treatments were ad libitum feeding of hay (T1, control) and supplementation with 200 g (T2), 300 g (T3) and 400 g (T4) peanut cake and wheat bran mixture on dry matter (DM) basis. Supplementation reduced (P < 0.001) hay DM intake, but increased (P < 0.001) total DM intake at 300 g DM (T3) and 400 g DM (T4) level of supplementation compared to the control treatment. Daily BW gain, final BW, empty BW, hot carcass weight and dressing percent were higher (P < 0.001) in the supplemented treatments. Goats on the medium (T3) level of supplementation had significantly heavier (P < 0.001) liver and more muscle deposition, whereas those on hay alone (T1) exhibited heavier bone, head as well as gut contents (P < 0.05). It was concluded that supplementation of Somali goats with the different levels of peanut cake and wheat bran mixture promoted BW gain, dressing percentage and increased the proportion of edible offals. Similarity between the different levels of supplementation used in this study with regard to BW and carcass characteristics favours the use of the low (T2) or medium (T3) level than the high (T4) level of supplementation.

Supplementation with linseed (Linum usitatissimum) cake and/or wheat bran on feed utilization and carcass characteristics of Arsi-Bale sheep

“…For instance, in fine wheat feed, the CP content is generally within the range of 16-21%, and the coarse wheat feed or bran usually contains less CP. The CP content of the hay used in the experiment was found to be in agreement with the 3-7% CP reported for hay prepared from grass in different studies (Bishaw and Melaku 2008;Nega and Melaku 2009;Melaku and Betsha 2008). According to Van Soest (1994), feeds with CP contents falling in this range constrain rumen function.…”

“…Comparable amount of hay DM intake as observed in this study was reported for Somali goats (Melaku and Betsha 2008) and Farta sheep (Nega and Melaku 2009) fed hay without supplementation. The decrease in natural pasture hay intake due to supplementation with LSC, WB, and their mixtures at different proportions may be attributed to the substitution effect of the concentrate supplements.…”

“…As an example, according to Agyemang et al (1985), 40% of total income of smallholder farmers in the Ethiopian highlands comes from the sale of sheep and is used to purchase agricultural inputs and household goods. However, the performance of sheep in the tropics, in terms of daily body weight (BW) gain and carcass yield, is low due to inadequate nutrition (Melaku and Betsha 2008;Nega and Melaku 2009) and therefore sets a limit to the contribution of sheep to the livelihoods of the rural poor. This is mainly due to reliance on natural pastures, crop residues, and stubble grazing in which the quality and quantity of nutrients are usually low and subject to great seasonal variations (Bogale et al 2008a;Bogale et al 2008b).…”

Carcass conformation and cut composition of Creole goat from Guadeloupe

“…As expected, the carcass yield improved with increasing slaughter weight, and this agrees with reports on Boer or their crossbreds (Ryan et al 2007) and also on other tropical goats (Attah et al 2004;Mahgoub et al 2005;Phengvichith and Ledin 2007;Melaku and Betsha 2008). The present carcass yield of Creole (mean of 53.5%) fell within the upper range of the cited papers.…”

Supplementation of Adilo Sheep with Sole or Mixtures of Moringa stenopetala Leaf Meal and Wheat Bran on Feed intake, Body Weight Gain and Digestibility

“…The fi nding of the current study is in agreement with Feyera and Animut (2011). Similar result were also reported by Simret (2005), Gebru (2009) andFeyera andAnimut (2011).…”