Performance and Nutrient Digestibility of West African Dwarf Goats Fed Different Dietary Levels of Cattle and Goat Rumen Contents
Abstract
Hundreds of cattle and goats are slaughtered on daily basis in abattoirs and rumen contents are disposed in large amount as wastes, which could possibly serve as an alternative non-conventional feed source to ruminants. This study was carried out to investigate the utilization of cattle and goat rumen contents in the diets of West African dwarf goats. Twenty five West African Dwarf goats were fed five treatment diets containing Cattle Rumen Content (CRC) and Goat Rumen Content (GRC) at 0%, 20% and 40% inclusion levels, respectively, using a completely randomized design. Daily feed intake and weekly weight gain were measured. Metabolism cages were used for total collection of faeces and urine. Dry Matter Intake, Organic Matter Intake and weight gain were similar (P>0.05) for all the treatments, although goats on diet 5 (40% GRC) had the least Dry Matter and Organic Matter digestibility. And OM digestibility of 58.58% observed in this study is still capable of supporting productivity in goats. Also, there was a gradual reduction in cost of feed from N26.45 at 0% RC to N18.53 at 20% CRC and GRC. In like manner, cost/kg live weight gain decreased from N33.86 at 0% RC to N16.93 for 40% CRC. The only exception was Diet 5 (40% GRC) which increased to N36.85 for cost/kg live weight gain. Cattle and goat rumen contents can therefore be incorporated in the diets of goats up to 40% inclusion level without any deleterious effect on their health, thereby minimizing cost of production.
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