Performance of kids produced by three breeds of goat fed diets supplemented with graded levels of turmeric powder.

Inclusion of some plants especially spices in the diets of farm animals have been researched upon extensively for parameters like growth, blood chemistry, and feed utilization among others. In contrary, the use of turmeric as feed additive for ruminant production is so low, while its effects on reproduction (especially during pregnancy) in ruminants are not available due to little/no information on its properties, processing, and inclusion rate. Thus, a study was conducted to evaluate pre- and post-weaning performances of kids produced by three breeds of goat fed diets supplemented with graded levels of turmeric powder intensively in southwestern Nigeria. Kids produced by Kalahari Red (KR), West African Dwarf (WAD), and KalaWAD Does fed diets containing turmeric powder (TP) at different levels were monitored for pre-weaning that lasted for 12 weeks, while selected kids were observed for 4 weeks post-weaning. Each Doe breed was fed diet at 5% bodyweight during pregnancy and pre-weaning, including some selected kids during post-weaning. Dietary treatments included concentrate diet (CD) as TP-0, CD + 2 g/kg TP as TP-2g, and CD + 5 g/kg TP as TP-5 g. Brachiaria ruziziensis was used as basal diet. Data obtained were arranged in a 3 × 3 factorial layout in a completely randomized design, while analysis of variance was done using SAS 9.1. Significance level was taken at 5% probability, while means were separated using Duncan's multiple range test of the same statistical package. Results of the study for breed effect revealed that KR kids had the best (p < 0.05) pre-weaning performance from birth (3.2 kg) till weaning (14.5 kg) and for weight gains (11.2 kg and 134.0 g/day). No mortality was recorded for WAD kids. For TP effects, the kids fed TP-2g had the highest (p < 0.05) weight gains (1.6 kg and 58.6 g/day) and reduced value for feed conversion ratio (FCR) of 6.2 for post-weaning performance. Kids fed TP-5g had the highest (p < 0.05) value for protein efficiency ratio (PER) of 1.4 at the end of post-weaning. For interaction effects of breeds and TP, KR kids fed TP-5g performed best (p < 0.05) at the pre-weaning period in terms of weights from birth (3.6 kg) till weaning (15.7 kg), while KR kids fed TP-2g had highest (p < 0.05) pre-weaning weight gains (12.5 kg and 148.9 g/day). KR kids fed TP-5g performed best (p < 0.05) at the post-weaning period in terms of weight gains (1.8 kg and 64.4 g/day). KR kids fed TP-2g and KalaWAD kids fed TP-5g had the lowest FCR (5.2) and the highest PER (1.6) respectively at the post-weaning period. It can be concluded that breeds of kid, TP inclusion, and their interaction influenced pre- and post-weaning performances of the kids.

Replacement effects of Panicum maximum with Ficus polita on performance of West African dwarf goats.

The replacement value of Ficus polita for Panicum maximum was evaluated on 32 female post-weaned West African dwarfs goats. Ficus polita was fed with P. maximum at different proportions of 0:90 (F. polita:P. maximum), 30:60, 60:30 and 90:0 constituting diets 1, 2, 3 and 4 respectively. Each diet was supplemented with 10% cassava peels. Dry matter intake per kg metabolic weight of goats was not significantly (p> 0.05) influenced by the dietary treatments. However, crude protein intake per kg metabolic weight was higher (p < 0.05) in animals fed 60% and 90%F. polita than those fed sole P. maximum diet. Daily weight gain of goats fed diet 3 (60%F. polita) was higher (p < 0.05) (27.3 g) than those fed diets 4 (18.9 g), 2 (20.8 g) and the control (6.6 g). Dry matter (DM), organic matter, crude protein (CP) and neutral detergent fibre digestibilities were higher (p < 0.05) in goats fed 60%F. polita than those fed other diets, except for DM digestibility which was statistically similar to diets 2 and 4 but higher than those fed diet 1 without F. polita. Organic matter and CP digestibility were highest (72.0 and 65.7% respectively) in animals fed 60%F. polita. Nitrogen retention of goats fed 60%F. polita (diet 3) was higher (p < 0.05) than that obtained with other diets. The results suggest that feeding combination of F. polita and P. maximum at ratio 60:30 respectively has associative effects that can enhance growth rate, feed intake, nutrients digestibility and nitrogen utilization for goat production during dry season in the tropics.

Performance of West African dwarf goats fed Guinea grass-Verano stylo mixture, N-fertilized and unfertilized Guinea grass.

The supplementary values of Verano stylo in a mixed Guinea grass (Panicum maximum cv. Ntchisi)-Verano stylo (Stylosanthes hamata cv. Verano) diet from a sown grass-legume mixture and N fertilized grass were compared in West African dwarf (WAD) goats. Liveweight (LW) gain, feed intake, digestibility and N utilization were determined using 15 goats in two trials lasting for 98 days. Goats were fed Guinea grass-Verano stylo mixture (GSM), N-fertilized (NFG) and unfertilized grass (UFG). The goats were divided into three groups of five animals each and randomly allocated to the dietary treatments in a randomized complete block design. Total DM and OM intakes of the goats did not vary significantly among the forage diets and averaged 55.1 and 50.4gkg(-1)W(0.75) per day, respectively. CP intake (gkg(-1)W(0.75) per day) was highest with NFG (5.6) followed by GSM (4.8) and the UFG (3.5). Total N excreted followed the same trend as the CP intake. There was no significant difference between N-retention of GSM and NFG (28.5 and 26.7%), but goats on UFG had a negative N balance (-9.16%). Animals on GSM had significantly higher liveweight gain (31.9g per day) than those of NFG (25.1g per day) and UFG (21.9g per day) which also differed significantly. The digestibilities of total DM, OM, CP, NDF were higher with GSM than NFG or UFG. It is concluded that growing Verano stylo in mixture with Guinea grass is a better option for improving the feed quality of forage diets for goats than direct application of inorganic fertilizer at 200kgNha(-1) to the pure grass.

Amino acid composition, available lysine content and in vitro protein digestibility of selected tropical crop seeds.

As the search for alternative sources of food to alleviate hunger continues, this study was undertaken to determine nitrogen and amino acid content, chemical score, protein digestibility corrected amino acid score, available lysine and in vitro digestibility of 8 lesser known, wild tropical seeds, gathered in Nigeria. Results were contrasted with a tropical soybean variety (Glycine max, TGX 1660-15F). The investigated seeds were Millettia thonningii, Gliricidia sepium, Lonchocarpus sericeus, Albizia zygia, Daneillia ogea and Afzella bella from the family of Leguminosae, Diospyros mespiliformis (Ebenaceae) and Entandrophragma angolense (Meliaceae). The crude protein content, based on nitrogen determination, was found to be lower in the wild seeds compared to soybean, which was partly due to the relatively high content of non-protein nitrogen. With reference to amino acid requirement and digestibility in most seed samples, lysine, followed by sulphur amino acids and threonine, were the limiting amino acids. It was concluded, that these less familiar wild seed plants may be used as valuable food or feed complements. However, further investigation is necessary to elucidate potential toxic and antinutritional factors.

Effect of source and amount of protein on milk production in dairy cows.

Forty multiparous Alpine does (mean BW of 61.5 kg) were utilized in a 13-wk trial to investigate the effects of a TMR differing in CP amount (13 or 17%) and source (solvent-extracted soybean meal or heat-treated soybean meal with or without urea) on lactational performance. Protein supplements contributed 30% of the N in 13% CP diets and 50% of the N in 17% CP diets. All diets were isoenergetic (2.5 Mcal of metabolizable energy/kg of DM) and were fed for ad libitum intake for the entire trial. Mean DMI (2.88 kg/d), milk production (2.65 kg/d), milk fat (4.05%), milk protein (2.68%), milk lactose (4.54%), and milk SNF (7.81%) did not differ among dietary treatments. Plasma urea N was greater (23.2 vs. 10.9 mg/dl) in does receiving the 17% CP diets; however, blood hematocrit (27.4%), beta-hydroxybutyrate (843 microM), plasma glucose (68.8 mg/dl), NEFA (600 mu eq/dl), and plasma total protein (74.% g/L) were not significantly affected by treatment. The apparent absence of a dietary effect on lactational performance may be due to the high DMI of the does (4.7% when expressed as DMI per kilogram of BW) and high CP intake providing a surfeit of protein relative to requirements.

Major minerals in blood of West African dwarf goats during lactation.

Twenty adult West African dwarf (Fouta djallon) does about 2 yr old and weighing from 23 to 28 kg were kept for two 18-wk lactations. Blood samples were obtained once weekly from 2 to 18 wk of lactation except in the 1st wk after parturition when samples were every other day for chemical analysis. Blood serum from the 2nd to the 18th wk contained the following averages (mg/100 ml) with standard deviations: calcium 10.52, 1.47; phosphorus 7.43, 1.0; magnesium 2.99, .42; (meq/liter) sodium 140.10, 3.83; and potassium 4.9, .45. In blood during the 1st wk after parturition they were 8.46, .40; 6.05, .12; 3.74, .12; 147.72, .63; and 6.28, .25. Trends increased with advance in lactation except for magnesium and potassium, which decreased.

Energy of milk of West African Dwarf, Red Sokoto, and Saanen goats at stages of lactation.

Digestible and metabolizable energy of milk from West African dwarf, Red Sokoto (Maradi), and imported Saanen goats at different stages of lactation was measured. Energy increased from early to mid-lactation and then declined except for metabolizable energy of Saanen goat milk which maintained a steady increase although the trends were not significant. Average digestive energies in megajoule/kg of freeze-dried milk were 23.4 +/- .91 (standard deviation); 21.4 +/- .55, and 19.9 +/- .34 for the West African dwarf, Red Sokoto, and Saanen goats. Corresponding metabolizable energies were 21.2 +/- .70, 18.7 +/- .46, and 18.5 +/- .48.

Major elements in milk of the West African dwarf goats as affected by stage of lactation.

Tweove adult West African dwarf (Fouta djallon) does, about 2 years old and weighing from 25 to 28 kg were kept for lactation studies lasting two 19-week periods. During these periods the does were hand-milked twice daily and the daily samples were bulked for each animal for subsequent analysis. The results showed that the colostrum was much richer in its content (g/kg) of Na 1.44 +/- 0.17, K 3.38 +/- 0.22 and Cl 4.83 +/- 0.29 than the mature milk which contained (g/kg) Na 0.65 +/- 0.09, K 1.57 +/- 0.19 and Cl 2.46 +/- 0.58. The corresponding values obtained for Ca (0.65 +/- 0.02) and P (0.36 +/- 0.10) in the colostrum were, however, lower than 2.01 +/- 0.98 and 1.18 +/- 0.28 g/kg obtained for Ca and P respectively in the mature milk. The composition of these elements in the colostrum approached that of the normal goat's milk on the sixth d after parturition. The results showed a rise in Ca, P, Na and Cl levels with stage of lactation and a fall in K content of the milk with advancing lactation with the trends being highly significant (P less than 0.01).

Studies on milk yield and composition of the West African dwarf goat in Nigeria.

Six adult West African dwarf does, about 2 1/2 years old and weighing from 24 to 29 kg, were kept for 18 weeks/lactation, and for 2 lactation periods in all. During these periods the does were hand-milked twice daily and the daily samples were bulked for each animal for subsequent analysis. Milk yields for the period were low. Colostrum was characterized by a high content of total solids of 19-2%, fat 8-3%, total protein 5-1% and a gross energy of 517 kJ/100 g milk, but a low lactose content of 4-9%. The composition tended to approach that of mature goat milk between the second and third d after parturition. The mature goat's milk contained higher mean percentages of fat (6-9) and lactose (6-3) than any temperate breeds of goats and indigenous dairy cattle, but their protein (3-9%) and total ash (0-8%) contents were comparable with any temperate breeds of goats. The percentage protein, lactose, fat and total solids declined slightly with advance in lactation and there was a steady fall in milk yield which was statistically significant (P less than 0-01).