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Sep 5, 2019Keywords:
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Main Article Content
Effect of substituting soya bean meal with <i>Gmelina arborea</i> leaf meal on performance and rumen fermentation of red Sokoto bucks
Abstract
An experiment was conducted using sixteen 5-month-old Red Sokoto buck with an average weight of 6.29 ± 0.21 kg body weight (BW)) randomly distributed into four groups of four animals per group, were used to study the effects of substituting Gmelina arborea leaf meal with soybean meal on voluntary intake, body weight, morphological and testicular characteristics, and economics of production for 77 days in a completely randomized design using analysis of variance. The goats in treatment 1 received 0% Gmelina arborea leaf meal, treatment 2, 3 and 4 received 10, 20, and 30% GLM respectively replaced with an equal amount (dry matter basis) of soybean meal (SBM). Daily intakes of dry matter (g/d-1), crude protein, organic matter, nitrogen free extract, neutral detergent fibre and acid detergent fibre were (p<0.05) affected by diets. Intake of acid detergent fibre was greater (p<0.05) for the treatment diets relative to the control diet. Diet effects on the body weight, linear body measurements and testicular morphology of the goats were marginal (p>0.05), except for initial scrotal length and circumference which was markedly (p<0.05) affected. Cost of feeding declined with the increasing level of Gmelina arborea leaf meal rate in the diet. Cost of feed consumed/goat and cost of feeding/kg BW gain were higher (p<0.05) for the control diet than for the treatment diets. Percent reduction in feed cost is outstanding for T4 compare to other treatment groups receiving GLM. These findings suggest that Gmelina leaf meal can be safely used up to 100% level to substitute SBM in a mix diets for growing bucks, without depressing voluntary intake, body weight, morphological and testicular parameters, and improve economic benefits to farmers. However, for better economic returns, 100% substitution of Gmelina arborea leaf meal with soybean meal is superior.
Keywords: Soya bean, Gmelina arborea, performance, rumen fermentation, and goats
