Greener Journal of Agricultural Sciences

Greener Journal of Agricultural Sciences Vol. 7 (8), pp. 210-215, October 2017.

ISSN: 2276-7770  

Research Article

Manuscript Number: 101417150

(DOI: http://doi.org/10.15580/GJAS.2017.8.101417150)

 

Metabolizable Energy and Digestibility Estimates of mixed Diets of Crop By-Products as Readily Available Feeds for Small Ruminants

 

Godfrey Adokiye Kalio

 

Department of Agricultural Science Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, PMB 5047, Ndele, Nigeria.

Abstract

The Metabolizable energy and digestibility estimates of mixed rations containing crop by-products as feeds for small ruminants was investigated using the in vitro gas production technique. Four concentrate feed mixtures of maize (TM), Cassava peel (TCP), Plantain peel (TPP) and Yam peel (TYP) in a roughage base of Panicum maximum in the ratio of 40%: 60% was formulated as potential readily available diets for small ruminants. Results reveal that the TCP supplemented energy based diets possess a higher ME value than the ME values for the plantain peel TPP, TM and TYP supplemented diets. The ME values recorded for TCP and TPP were within the recommended ME values for an average diet (6 – 13 MJ/kg/DM); hence can fulfill the energy requirements for small ruminants when utilized. Similarly, the TYP and TPP treatment groups recorded the highest value of SCFAs, hence being a major source of energy as well as a building block for milk synthesis. The diet containing TCP recorded the highest organic matter digestibility (OMD) after 24 hours of incubation. It is therefore recommended that non-conventional feedstuffs such as crop by-products could be better substitutes as energy sources in sheep and goat diets on account of their nutritional value in terms of metabolizable energy (ME), short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and organic matter digestibility (OMD) as well as their ready availability and predominance, cheapness and better economic gains to small ruminant farmers.

 

 Key words: Metabolizable energy, digestibility, in vitro gas production, crop by-products, small ruminants, diets.

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