JAEQM

This study evaluated the performance of West African Dwarf (WAD) buck-kids fed diets containing Ficus thonningii (FT) and Ficus religiosa (FR) as partial replacements for cassava peels. Twenty-five growing WAD buck-kids were randomly assigned to five dietary treatments in a Completely Randomized Design for 12 weeks. FT and FR replaced cassava peels at 20% and 40% inclusion levels, while 60% cassava peels constituted control. Feed intake, weight change, nutrient digestibility, nitrogen utilization, haematological and biochemical parameters were evaluated, using one-way ANOVA. The 40% FR diet recorded the highest crude protein (13.56%) and crude fibre (28.01%) contents. The 20% FR diet produced the highest dry matter (86.00%), crude protein (74.92%) and crude fibre (62.19%) digestibility. Weight change and major blood parameters were not significantly affected (P>0.05). The study demonstrates that FT and FR can replace cassava peels by up to 40% without adverse effects.

Downloads: 0