Effect Of Feeding Different Supplements On The Performance Of Yankasa Rams Offered A Basal Diet Of Cowpea Hay In The Semi Arid Region Of Nigeria.

Abstract

The research was conducted at the Department of Animal Science Teaching and Research Farm Modibbo Adama University of Technology, Yola, Nigeria. A total of 12Yankasa rams aged 6-12 months  and weighed 15.5-20.5kg were studied. The rams were randomly divided into 4 treatments of 3 animals/treatment in a completely randomised design (CRD). The treatments were :T₁ (cowpea hay only adlib, control), T₂ (cowpea hay adlib + cotton seed cake), T₃ (cowpea hay adlib + brewers waste) and T₄ (cowpea hay only adlib + maize bran).  Inadequate quantity and quality of feeds during the dry season lead to reduced feed intake and weight loss in small ruminants in the tropics.  Therefore it calls for supplementation of feeds which will increase feed intake and reduce loss weight of small ruminants. The research aimed at evaluating the dry matter intake, water intake, weight gain and appropriate feed combination of feeding small ruminants in the Semi-arid Region. The research lasted for 74 days plus adjustment period of two weeks. Results showed that the highest dry matter intake (947.7g/a/d/) was recorded in rams fed cowpea hay supplemented with cotton seed cake while the lowest (844.69/h/a/d) was obtained in rams fed cowpea hay only. The dry matter digestibility ranged from 52.4% - 61.7%, CF varied from 51.0%-59.3% and CP digestibility ranged between 60.3% -68.2%. The highest live weight gain (115.3g/h/d) was recorded in those rams that were fed cowpea hay supplemented with cotton seed cake and the least in T₁ (control 85.7g/h/d). Water intake ranged from 2.9 – 3.4 lit/h/d. Cowpea hay supplemented with cotton seed cake is highly recommended for feeding small ruminants in the Region because these feed combinations gave highest dry matter intake and live weight gain.

KEY WORDS: Adlib, Brewer’s waste(BW). Cowpea hay, cotton seed cake(CSC) Maize bran(MB), Live weight gain, Yankasa,