Dichanthium hay combined with green cassava foliage or pelleted cassava foliage as fed for Black Belly rams.

Intake, digestion and nitrogen retention were measured in fifteen 1-year-old Black Belly rams that had an average weight of 35.3 (± 1.59) kg and that consumed mixed diets. Diets consisted of old Dichanthium spp. hay distributed ad libitum, combined with 500 g (dry matter basis) of green or pelleted cassava foliage. Alfalfa pellets were used as a control for foliage supplement. The experiment was run in a 3 × 3 Latin square design. Total dry matter intake was lower (P < 0.05) with the green foliage cassava diet compared with the alfalfa pellet diet. Differences were not significant (P < 0.12) with the green cassava foliage diet compared with the cassava foliage pellet diet. Total tract digestion of organic matter, crude protein and cell wall components in cassava green foliage and cassava foliage pellet diets were significantly lower than in the alfalfa diet. Crude protein total tract digestion was similar for cassava green foliage and cassava foliage pellet diets, while fibre digestion was lower with cassava green foliage diets. Retained nitrogen was significantly higher with the alfalfa diet compared with cassava diets-between which there were no differences. Urinary nitrogen excretion was similar between all diets. In conclusion, pelleting does not decrease the feed value of cassava foliage, but this value is nevertheless lower than the feed value of alfalfa.

Growth and carcass attributes of growing Creole kids according to experimental infection level and type of diet.

In the tropics one of the major constraints to goat production is infection by gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN). One promising alternative to chemotherapy is the improvement of host nutrition. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of infection and supplementation on packed cell volume (PCV), average daily gain (ADG) and carcass quality in growing Creole kids. Sixty male goats were reared indoors following a 2 × 3 factorial design: two experimental infection levels, (infected (I) and non-infected (NI)) and three diets D (G, kids were fed exclusively with tropical forages; B, kids were supplemented with dried and crushed banana and C, kids were supplemented with commercial pellets). Faecal egg counts did not vary among I groups (on average 2,200 ω/g). The PCV and ADG were improved (P < 0.001) for NI vs. I animals. There was a D effect (P < 0.001) and no I × D interaction was observed. There was no significant effect of GIN on the main carcass data, except the weights of liver, white offal and abdominal fat, which increased slightly in I compared with NI goats (P < 0.05). All carcass data increased significantly with the addition of supplement in the diet (P < 0.001), except for carcass-cut proportions. Meat physical parameters were degraded when I kids received low N diets (B or G) with higher lightness and water loss than in the C groups. Given that GIN affect the animal's N metabolism it is recommended to avoid the use of unbalanced diet such as those banana-based. Further research is necessary to assess the nutrition × parasitism interactions on physiological features and carcass quality of Creole goats.