ABSTRACT
This study was conducted to evaluate the nutritional potential and relative intake of Panicum maximum, Pennisetum purpureum, Andropogon tectorum and Cynodon nlemfuensis by West African Dwarf goats fed with these forages. Six bucks (11 – 12 months old and 6.0 – 8.1 kg weight) were used for the study, which lasted for 14 days. The experiment was conducted using the Completely Randomized Design (CRD). The bucks were first quarantined for 21 days during which they were treated against ecto- and endo-parasites before they were moved to separate cement-floored pens for the experiment. All the forages were harvested in the evening and kept overnight before being fed daily to each buck simultaneously from 9:00 am and water provided ad libitum. Results showed that the grass forages differed significantly (P<0.05) in dry matter (DM), proximate compositions, mineral fractions in addition to energy values, Relative Feed Value (RFV) and in vitro organic matter digestibility (IVOMD). Panicum maximum recorded the highest DM (91.27%), ash (14.26%), EE (1.06%), Relative Preference Index (RPI) (100%) and average daily DMI (592.84 g) and CF (12.63%) and IVOMD (53.43%). Andropogon tectorum recorded the highest CP (12.51%), DCP (8.12%), P (0.338%), Ca (0.297%), Mg (0.374%), K (0.970%), Na (0.217%), Fe (197.71 mg/kg), Cu (9.29 mg/kg), Zn (46.90 mg/kg), Mn (17.40 mg/kg), Co (33.78 mg/kg), Neutral Detergent Fibre (NDF) (67.36%), Acid Detergent Lignin (ADL) (17.23%), ME (7.06 MJ/KgDM) and Total Digestible Nutrient (TDN) (48.37%) and the lowest EE (0.80%), Nitrogen Free Extract (NFE) (49.84%) and RFV (73.05%). Pennisetum purpureum had the highest hemicellulose (24.51%) and RFV (90.19%) and the lowest DM (89.45%), Co (21.20 mg/kg), NDF (61.74%), ADF (37.23%), ADL (11.78%), cellulose (24.46%), ME (5.41 MJ/KgDM) and TDN (39.02%). Cynodon nlemfuensis recorded the highest NFE (53.94%), CF (13.76%) and IVOMD (54.19%) and the lowest CP (10.28%), DCP (6.05%), ash (11.52%), P (0.307%), Ca (0.275%), Mg (0.328%), K (0.933%), Na (0.204%), Fe (192.25 mg/kg), Cu (5.38 mg/kg), Zn (38.96 mg/kg), Mn (11.81 mg/kg), RPI (19%) and average daily DMI (136.15 g). Although the ash, EE, P, Mg, K, Na, Fe, Mn, Zn and Co contents were within the ranges of acceptable quantities for daily goat maintenance and growth; the low CP, Ca, Cu, TDN, RFV and IVOMD coupled with high NDF and ADF contents indicated that the forages were of low quality. The relative preference index and daily average DMI of the forages followed the pattern (Panicum maximum>Andropogon tectorum>Pennisetum purpureum>Cynodon nlemfuensis), which was believed to be largely influenced by their morphology and chemical composition. The RPI, daily average DMI and daily average nutrient intakes from Panicum maximum were significantly higher (P<0.05) than those of Andropogon tectorum, Pennisetum purpureum in that order. The average DMI of the grass forages correlated positively with ash (0.5428)/CP (r = 0.4644)/EE (0.8014*) but negatively with CF (-0.3731). It was concluded that Panicum maximum and Andropogon tectorum have high potential for goat nutrition, while Pennisetum purpureum and Cynodon nlemfuensis have moderate and low potential respectively.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE
Title page i
Declaration ii
Certification iii
Dedication iv
Acknowledgements v
Table of Contents vi
List
of Tables viii
List
of Figures ix
Abstract x
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background Information 1
1.2 Statement of Problem 3
1.3 Objectives of the Study 3
1.4 General Objective 3
1.5 Specific Objectives 3
1.6 Justification 3
CHAPTER 2:
LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Origin and Distribution of Domestic Goat 5
2.2 Major Breeds of Goats in Nigeria 5
2.2.1 Features and
categories of West African dwarf (WAD) goats in
Nigeria 6
2.3 West African Dwarf Goat Production Systems in
Nigeria 8
2.4 Nutritional Requirement of Goats 9
2.4.1
Energy requirement 9
2.4.2
Protein requirement 11
2.4.3
Vitamins and mineral requirements 13
2.4.4
Water requirement 15
2.5 Feeding Habit of WAD Goats 17
2.6 Common Grass Forages Eaten by Goats in Nigeria
and their
Nutritive Value 18
2.7 Relative or Voluntary Intake of Forages by
Goats and its Influencing
Factors 24
2.8 Advantages of Goat Production over other
Livestock Species 27
2.9 Important of Goats 28
2.10
Food Protein of Goat Origin 29
CHAPTER 3:
MATERIALS AND METHODS
3.1 Experiment Site 31
3.2 Experimental Animals 31
3.3 Experimental Feeds Collection and Feeding
Management 32
3.4 Experimental Design 32
3.5 Determination of Relative Intake, Preference
and Growth Performance 34
3.6 Determination of Proximate Composition of Experimental
Feeds 34
3.7 Determination of Energy Values of the Gross
Forages 35
3.8 Statistical
Analysis 36
CHAPTER 4: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
4.1 Proximate composition 37
4.2 Relative intake; relative preference index and
preference ranking
of the grass forages 53
CHAPTER 5
5.1 Conclusion 60
5.2 Recommendation 61
References 62
Appendices 84
LIST OF TABLES
2.1 Accepted macro and micro minerals in a
goat diet 16
3.1 RANDOMIZATION OF OFFER OF THE GRASS FORAGES (PM:
Panicum maximum, PP:Pennisetum purpurem, AT: Andropogon
tectorum, CN: Cynodon nlemfuensis) 33
4.1 Dry matter contents of the grass forages 37
4.2 Crude protein, digestive crude protein,
ash, ether extract and
nitrogen
free extract of the grass forages 40
4.3 Macro-minerals found in the grass forages 44
4.4 Micro-minerals found in the grass forages 45
4.5 Fibre fractions of the grass forages 48
4.6 Energy values and digestibility of the
grass forages 52
4.7 Dry matter of forages fed to buck 54
4.8 Daily average nutrient intakes of the
forages by the bucks 55
4.9 Simple correlations between average RPI
and proximate
composition
of the grass forages 57
4.10 Simple correlations between average DMI and
proximate
composition
of the grass forages 58
LIST OF FIGURES
1 Schematic
relationships between different aspects of
nutritive
value which influence animal performance 26
2 Randomization
of offer of the grass forages (PM: Panicum
maximum, PP: Pennisetum purpurem, AT: Andropogon
tectorum;
CN: Cynodon nlemfuensis) 30
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
1.1
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Goats belong to the order Artiodactyla, the family
Bovidae and the genus Capra. They were the first domesticated herbivores (Hasse
and Zeder, 2000). Today, over 540 breeds of these small ruminants are kept by
farmers across the world. The West African Dwarf (WAD) goats are among the
three breeds commonly found in Nigeria (Rotimi et al., 2017). These goats are small, blocky and prolific in nature
and are able to withstand the harsh tropical climate and tolerate
trypanosomiasis, hence their wide distribution in the country (Chiejina et al., 2015). Apart from being a major
source of animal protein and income for people, WAD goats also form an integral
part of the culture of the people, especially in marital and religious rites
(Alikwe et al, 2011), and serve as an
insurance against crop failure in many localities (Gefu et al., 1994). The low startup cost, less labour demand, prolific
nature and short interval of revenue generation are some of the factors
necessitating the production of these goats.
Forage refers to leaves and stems of plant species
grazed or browsed by ruminants and it includes grass, forbs and shrubs (Kawas et al., 2010). The immense contributions
of these plant materials to the nutrition of WAD goats in the country cannot be
over-emphasized, as they are valuable for providing dilute sources of
nutrients, supplying fibre for rumen digestion and being widely available and
more economic than other feeds, particularly during the rainy season. Common
grasses that reportedly provide feeds for WAD goats in Nigeria include Panicum maximum (guinea grass), Andropogon tecturom, Pennisetum purpurem and Cynodon nlemfuensis (FAO, 2003; Mlay et al., 2006; Onyeonagu and Eze, 2013; Ojo
et al., 2016). While these plant
species are part of the ideal natural basis for goat nutrition, various reports
(Ogunbosoye and Otukoya, 2014; Ojo et al.,
2016; Rusdy, 2016) have shown that their availability, chemical composition,
nutritional value, voluntary intake and digestibility can vary with soil type,
topography, season, variety and age at which they are harvested. Hence, there
is need for regular evaluation of the proximate composition of these browse
plants to ascertain their nutritional value and develop a suitable nutrient
supplementation plan to ensure good nutrition and improved productivity of WAD
goats in the country. This becomes more crucial considering that the nutritive
value of tropical grasses fluctuates due to climatic influence (Kawas et al., 2010).
Relative intake, which is the amount of dry matter that
an animal can voluntarily consume in a day, is also important for evaluating
the nutritive value of forages and growth performance of ruminants, as
proximate composition alone cannot provide a complete basis ((Kawas et al., 2010)).According
to Orskov and Ryce (1990), voluntary intake is a function of forage
characteristics, animal, environment and the interaction among these factors.
Forage-related factors such as structure, odour and taste largely affect
preference/acceptability of the forage (Babayemi and Bamikole, 2006) and this
primarily determines the level of rumen fill, which in turn relates to the rate
of digestion, passage of fibrous particles from the rumen and the general
performance of any ruminant (Fonseca et
al., 1998).
1.2 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
Over the years WAD goat production in Nigeria has been
faced with nutritional challenges due to seasonal variations and inadequate
care because production is mostly carried out under low-input systems where
little or no care is provided. Consequently the productivity of these goats has
remained perpetually low thereby threatening the protein and income needs as
well as the wellbeing of the generality of the people. The situation is more
worrisome in the southern parts of the country where WAD goat production is a
major source of livelihood to the rural people.
1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The broad objective of the study was to evaluate the
nutritional potential and relative intake of selected grass forages by West
African Dwarf (WAD) goats, while the specific objectives were to:
i. Determine
the chemical composition (fibre fraction, proximate and mineral content) of
each of the selected grass forages.
ii. Estimate
gross energy, digestible energy, metabolisable energy, total digestible
nutrients, digestible crude protein, organic matter digestibility and relative
feed value each of the grass forages.
iii. Evaluate
relative preference and intake of each grass forage by WAD goats.
1.4 JUSTIFICATION
A study on nutritional potential and relative intake
of Panicum maximum, Pennisetum purpurem,
Andropogen tecturum and Cynodon
nlemfuensis by WAD goats would help generate information on the nutritional
composition of these forages and their preferences by animals especially during
the early rainy season when fodder is relatively in abundance in meeting the
nutritional requirement of ruminants. It would also help animal nutritionists
in planning towards the establishment of pastures in order to optimize the
performance of WAD goats.
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