Performance of Yankasa rams offered a basal diet of Pangola grass hay supplemented with different supplements in the semi-arid zone of North East of Nigeria

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International Journal of Development Research

Performance of Yankasa rams offered a basal diet of Pangola grass hay supplemented with different supplements in the semi-arid zone of North East of Nigeria

Abstract: 

The research was conducted at the Department of Animal Science Teaching and Research Farm, Modibbo Adama University of Technology, Yola, Nigeria. A total of 12Yankasa rams aged 6-12 months of age weighing 18.5-21.5kg were used. The rams were randomly divided into 4 treatments of 3 animals/treatment in a completely randomised design (CRD). The treatments were: T1 (Grass hay only adlib, control), T2 (Grass hay adlib + 300gCotton Seed cake), T3 (Grass hay adlib + 300g brewers waste) and T4 (Grass hay adlib + 300g maize bran). One of the problems of small ruminants’ production in the tropics is inadequate quantity and quality of feeds during the dry season which lead to reduced feed intake and weight loss. Therefore supplementation of basal feeds increases feed intake and reduce loss weight of the animals. The research aimed at evaluating the dry matter intake, water intake, live weight gain and appropriate feed combinations for feeding small ruminants in the Semi-arid zone of North East of Nigeria. The research lasted for 74 days plus adjustment period of two weeks. Results showed the highest dry matter intake (942.7g/animal/day) was recorded in rams fed grass hay supplemented with cotton seed cake while the lowest (801.77 g/animal/day) was obtained in rams fed grass hay only. The DMD ranged from 57.8% - 62.6%, CPD varied from63.03%-68.0% and CFD ranged from 44.9-53.7%. The highest live weight gain (66.1 g/animal/day) was recorded in those rams that were fed grass hay supplemented with cotton seed cake. Water intake ranged from 2.36 – 2.6 litre/animal/day. Pongola grass hay supplemented with cotton seed cake is highly recommended for feeding small ruminants in the zone because these feed combinations gave highest dry matter intake and live weight gain.

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