NUTRIENT DIGESTIBILITY OF YANKASA RAMS FED TOASTED SORREL SEED (HIBISCUS SABDARIFFA) MEAL IN SEMI-ARID REGION OF BORNO STATE.

Abstract

The experiment was conducted at the Department of Animal Production Technology Teaching and Research Farm Ramat Polytechnic Maiduguri Borno state. To generate information and determined the nutrient digestibility of Yankasa rams and proximate composition of toasted sorrel seed meal and other feed ingredient in the experimental diet formulated fed to Yankasa breed of rams in semi-arid region of Borno State. A total number of 16 rams with average weight of 17.5 - 27 kg were used for the experiment and there were divided into four (4) treatment with four (4) replicates allocated to complete randomized design (CRD) for period of eight (8) weeks. The toasted sorrel were fed at the cushion level of 0% T1, 10% T2, and 15% T3 and 20% T4 respectively. Water and experimental diet formulated were given ad-libitum during the feeding trial. This study therefore compared the effect of different inclusion level of toasted sorrel seed in ruminant diet. This was with the aim of enhancing its utilization as protein source for ruminant nutrition and factional ingredient. The criteria for the assessment were nutrient digestibility and proximate composition of toasted sorrel seed and other feed ingredient used. However four (4) animals were place in metabolic cage to assist feacal sample collection. The feed intake were measured by subtracting the left over from the feed serve. The result of proximate composition of the feed ingredient showed that toasted sorrel seed had the highest dry matter content of 95.54% compared to other feed ingredient. In general the result of nutrient digestibility parameter showed that there were no significant (p >0.05) different among the treatments. However the result of nutrient digestibility showed that the highest dry matter digestibility were recorded in T3 (49.84%) while the lowest was recorded in T4 (37.57%). The highest crude protein digestibility were recorded in T1 and T4 with value of 99.06 and 99.03%. The result of this study also recommended 20% inclusion level of toasted sorrel seed in ruminant diets as it is readily available and being wasted by the local community farmers in the semi-arid region of Borno State of Nigeria.