Effects of graded levels of <i>Faidherbia abida </i> leaves as replacement for groundnut hay in the diets of Uda lambs

Abstract

Twenty (20) Uda lambs with an average weight of 16 kg were used in a 12 week feeding trial to examine the effects of different levels of Faidherbia albida leaves as replacement for groundnut hay on the performance of the animals in the semi-arid zone of Nigeria. The animals were divided into five groups with four animals per group and allotted to five dietary treatments designated as A, B, C, D and E, in which the forages were mixed at different ratios of 100:0, 50:50, 25:75, 75:25 and 0:100 groundnut hay and: Faidherbia albida leaves, respectively. Results obtained indicated treatment B to have significantly higher (P<0.05) average daily gain compared to the other treatments. Total dry matter intake was significantly higher (P<0.05) for treatment D compared to the other treatments. Intake values for total crude protein and crude fibre were significantly better (P<0.05) for treatment A, which was the control diet. Nutrient digestibility was not significantly affected (P>0.05) by the inclusion of Faidherbia albida leaves in the diets. The lowest (P<0.05) cost of feed per kg liveweight gain was obtained in treatment E, which had only Faidherbia albida leaves as forage. It could therefore be concluded that Faidherbia albida leaves could be a good source of forage compared to groundnut hay for growing lambs in the dry seasons.