Economic and nutritional effects of feeding groundnut haulms with graded dried brewers’ grain on Red Sokoto bucks

Abstract

This experiment was conducted at the Adamawa State University Livestock Teaching and Research Farm, Mubi, Nigeria, to investigate the economic and nutritional effects of digestibility and haematological parameters of Red Sokoto bucks fed groundnut haulms with graded levels of brewers’ grains. Bucks were blocked according to live weight into four treatment groups in a Randomised Block Designed (RBD) with four levels of concentrate at 0, 150, 200 and 250g which constituted the treatments designated T₁, T₂, T₃ and T₄, respectively. Treatment one had zero supplementation and served as a control. The results revealed that feed intake of 498.8, 558.1, and 607.4 for treatments 2, 3, and 4, and live weight gain of 43.9, 45.0 and 46.9 for treatments 2, 3 and 4, respectively, were significantly higher (p<0.05) in the supplemental group than those of controlled group. Based on the results of this study, concentrate supplement is necessary to improve the performance of goats during the dry season. Further, the findings showed that dried brewers’ grain at those levels had not caused any haemolysis, or its effect might have been antogonised by cholesterol present in the animal, and had no detrimental effects to animals’ health and well-being and therefore, could be used to supplement bucks feeding. Based on these findings, it is recommended that dried brewers’ grain can be included in the diet of goats as a cheap protein supplement during the dry season to the level of about 150-200grams without any side effects.