INFLUENCE OF CONCENTRATE SUPPLEMENTATION WITH BROWSE PLANT (GLIRICIDIA SEPIUM) ON NUTRIENT UTILIZATION AND GROWTH OF THE WEST AFRICAN DWARF (FOUTA DJALLON) KIDS

Abstract

TWELVE West African dwarf (Fouta Djallon) kids, 4 to 6 months of age and weighing between 5.96 and 7.24kg, were used in the study of three dietary treatments involving a basal diet of browse plant (gliricidia Septum) supplemented with concentrate feed at 25 and 50% levels of dry matter intake to appetite. The diets were fed for a period of three months in order to estimate nutrient intake and utilization, protein and energy requirements including growth performances of the kids. 

Kids maintained on gliricidia sepium alone (G1000CO) needed significantly (P/0.05) more dry matter (DM) consumption to appetite (294.66 ± 14.941 g/day) than kids maintained on either 75% gliricidia sepium plus 25% concentrate (G75 C25) or 50% gliricidia sepium plus 50% concentrate (GC)50 (236.26±0.385kg) than either kids on treatments G100C0 or (GC)50 (6.84±0.214 and 6.92±0.313kg respectively). DM intake as a percentage of liveweight was about 3.60 +0.237%. 

The kids were in positive nitrogen balance and the nitrogen retention value ranged from 31.36 ±1.633 to 50.22 ±0.994%. Metabolic faecal nitrogen (MFN) and endogenous urinary nitrogen (ENU) were 0.232±0.005g/100g DM intake and 0.070 g/day wkg734 respectively. The biological value (BV) of the diets ranged from 56.79 to 75.62%. The digestible crude protein (DCP) requirement for maintenance was 0.853±0.133 g/day/wkg734 while the DCP requirement for liveweight gain was 0.030±0.001 g/day/wkg734 per g of liveweight gain. The digestible energy (DE) and metabolizable (ME) energy requirements for maintenance were 124.42±3.274 kcal/day/wkg734 and 100.78 + 4.588 kcal/day/wkg734 respectively. 

Results showed that the utilization of the browse plant (gliricidia sepium) by the kids was best when fed at 75% browse plus 25% concentrate.