ENHANCING NUTRIENT INTAKE AND DIGESTIBILITY IN WEST AFRICAN DWARF GOAT BUCKS THROUGH ENSILED MAIZE STOVER AND BROWSE FODDER MIXTURES
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33003/jaat.2025.1101.08Keywords:
Maize stover residues,, Browse fodders,, WAD bucks,, Nutrient intake,, DigestibilityAbstract
The incorporation of browsing legume fodders as silage, in conjunction with various ratios of maize stover residues, exhibits elevated protein efficiency and total digestible nutrients. This study assessed the nutritional consumption and digestibility of West African dwarf developing bucks fed maize stover residues (MSR) ensiled with certain browse plant species at the Teaching and Research Farm of Oyo State College of Agriculture and Technology, Igboora, Nigeria. Sixteen growing WAD bucks, aged 6-9 months and weighing between 6.00-10.00 kg, were randomly assigned to four dietary treatments: T1 (100% MSRS silage + 300g concentrate), T2 (MSR70GS30 silage + 300g concentrate), T3 (MSR70FT30 silage + 300g concentrate), and T4 (MSR70GA30 silage + 300g concentrate). Each diet was administered at 3% of the individual animals' body weight. Notable differences (P<0.05) in nutrient consumption and digestibility were detected. The maximum dry matter (DM) intake was seen in T1 (214.36g/d), whereas the minimum was in T3 (193.73g/d). Buck fed T3 exhibited the highest crude protein (CP) intake at 103.05g/d, whereas the lowest CP intake was recorded in T1 at 32.65g/d. The maximum DM digestibility (45.84%) was recorded in T3, while the peak crude fiber digestibility (50.00%) was noted in T4. The findings indicate that the integration of MSR with certain browse fodders enhances nutritional absorption and digestibility, particularly with a composition of 70% MSR and 30% F. thonningii fodder.
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