PERTANIKA JOURNAL OF TROPICAL AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE

 

e-ISSN 2231-8542
ISSN 1511-3701

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Potential of Albizia lebbeck-Cassava Peel Silage as Dry Season Feed for West African Dwarf Sheep

Festus Temitope Ajayi and Sunday Oloruntoba Omotoso

Pertanika Journal of Tropical Agricultural Science, Volume 41, Issue 3, August 2018

Keywords: Albizia lebbeck foliage, cassava peel, digestibility, nitrogen utilisation, performance, silage

Published on: 30 Aug 2018

The study evaluated the growth performance, digestibility, and nitrogen utilisation of West African Dwarf (WAD) sheep fed with Albizia lebbeck - cassava peel silage and Panicum maximum. Sixteen female WAD sheep (6–7 months old and average live weights of 11 kg) were randomly allotted into four dietary treatments in a complete randomized design. Dietary treatments of A. lebbeck - cassava peel silage are: Diet 1 (60% Cassava peel + 25% A. lebbeck + 15% P. maximum), Diet 2 (45% Cassava peel + 40% A. lebbeck +15% P. maximum), and Diet 3 (30% Cassava peel + 55 % A. lebbeck + 15% P. maximum), while Diet 4 (100% P. maximum) is the control. The pH values (4.27–5.39), NH3-N (0.089–0.125%), lactic (0.72–1.08%), and butyric (7.04–10.53%) acids, contents of silages differed (p < 0.05). Intakes of dry matter (68.6–71.3 g/kg W0.75/d) and crude protein (15.9–18.4 g/kg W0.75/d) of sheep were similar (p > 0.05) across treatments, while total feed intake (840 g/d) and weight gain (46.07 g/d) of sheep fed diet 1 were superior (p < 0.05) to other treatment groups. Although, sheep fed diet 4 had the best (p < 0.05) feed conversion ratio, silage diet was efficiently utilized by the sheep fed diet 1. Nutrient digestibility varied (p < 0.05) across treatment groups. The values of apparent nitrogen digestibility (69.33%), nitrogen absorbed and retained was highest (2.08 and 1.97 g/d) in sheep fed diet 1, while nitrogen absorbed and retained was lowest (1.37 and 1.12 g/d) in sheep fed diet 3. In conclusion, WAD sheep fed diet 1 performed remarkably in terms of feed intake, weight gain, and N-utilisation. Therefore, A. lebbeck-cassava peel silage can be a viable option for sheep feeding in the dry season when grass quality is low.

ISSN 1511-3701

e-ISSN 2231-8542

Article ID

JTAS-1251-2017

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