Performance of growing indigenous goats fed diets based on urban market crop wastes

Abstract

The effect of feeding diets including market crop wastes (sweet potato vines (Ipomoea batatas) and scarlet eggplant (Solanum aethiopicum)) on growth and digestibility was studied using 32 indigenous intact growing male goats. Adding elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum), maize bran and Leucaena leucocephala leaves, four isocaloric and isonitrogenous diets (Sweet potato vines, Solanum, Mixed and Control) were formulated. After the growth trial, 12 goats were randomly selected for a digestibility trial with the same diets, and 8 goats for a feed preference test comparing the market wastes and elephant grass. Crude protein (CP) intake was highest (P<0.05) for the Control (48 g/day) and lowest for the Sweet potato vines diet (23 g/day). Average daily gain was between 11.0 and 14.2 g/day, and similar between diets. The DM and CP digestibilities of the diets were 0.56 and 0.56 (Control), 0.62 and 0.56 (Mixed), 0.59 and 0.49 (Sweet potato vines), and 0.54 and 0.45 (Solanum), respectively. Faecal and urinary N excretions were highest in goats fed the Sweet potato vines and Solanum diets. Eggplant wastes were the least (P<0.05) preferred. On average the goats spent 5% of their 8-hour time eating eggplant wastes, 34% on sweet potato vines and 36% on elephant grass. Growth performance and N retention were low due to the low intake of feed, especially eggplant wastes.

Effect of feeding cassava and/or Stylosanthes foliage on the performance of crossbred growing cattle

“…This is in agreement with a recent study by Katongole et al (2009), who indicated that the increase in faecal N excretion with a decline in urinary N excretion is associated with tannin-protein complexes when goats were fed Leucaena leaves. When expressing N retention as a percentage of N intake, the value ranged from 58 to 69% in the present study, which is high since N retention normally is around 19% of the intake (Hill et al 2007).…”

Intake, growth and carcass yield of indigenous goats fed market wastes of sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) vines and scarlet eggplant (Solanum aethiopicum)

“…The low DM intake of the SEPD observed is attributed to the low acceptability of SEP. Similar results of low acceptability of scarlet eggplant wastes by goats, and hence loss of BW were reported by Katongole et al (2008Katongole et al ( , 2009). However, the low acceptability of SEP can not be easily explained.…”

“…The chemical composition of the market crop wastes in this study was in the range reported previously by Katongole et al (2008Katongole et al ( , 2009. The CP content of elephant grass observed in this study was lower than that reported by Kariuki et al (1998) and Kabi et al (2005).…”

“…The presence of anti-nutritional factors (particularly tannins) is an unlikely cause of the low acceptability for the reason that some previous studies (Akindahunsi and Salawu 2005;Oboh et al 2005) have reported low foliar anti- nutritional levels in Solanum species. Katongole et al (2009) attributed the low intake to contamination with soil particles. Growth rate and carcass yield were in agreement with the differences in total CP intake.…”

“…In a previous study aimed at characterizing the nutritional value of some urban market crop wastes (Katongole et al 2008), market sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) vines (SPV) and scarlet eggplant (Solanum aethiopicum) wastes (SEP) were identified as potential cheap feeds for goats, based on their crude protein (CP) content, effective rumen dry matter (DM) degradability, CP digestibility and nitrogen (N) retention. However, poor intake and hence low growth rates were reported in a subsequent study (Katongole et al 2009) aimed at evaluating the effect of including these market crop wastes in elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum) based diets on nutrient digestibility and growth of indigenous goats. There was a negative associative effect between the market crop wastes and elephant grass, particularly for eggplant wastes.…”