Performance of <i>Yankasa</i> rams fed <i>Panicum maximum</i> as basal diet supplemented with poultry waste

Abstract

A feeding trial was conducted to determine the effect of supplementing Guinea grass hay with poultry waste on the performance of Yankasa rams. Sixteen Yankasa rams, aged 7-10 months with an average live-weight of 17kg, were subjected to four treatment diets each consisting of four replicates in a randomized complete block design (RCBD). The four dietary treatments were Treatment 1 (sole guinea grass), Treatment 2 (Guinea grass + 50g Poultry waste), Treatment 3 (Guinea grass + 100g Poultry waste) and Treatment 4 (Guinea grass + 150g Poultry waste). The result showed that rams fed Treatment 1 recorded the least feed intake and weight gain than Treatment 2, Treatment 3 and Treatment 4 which were supplemented with poultry waste. The live-weight gain of Yankasa rams was not significantly (P>0.05) different. The water intake of rams was not significantly (P>0.05) affected by poultry waste supplementation. The nutrients digestibility was significantly (P<0.05) affected by the supplementation of poultry waste. The result indicated that feeding poultry waste up to 150 g as supplement with Guinea grass could lead to improved feed intake, weight gain, digestibility and nutrients utilization by Yankasa rams.