Open AccessNutrient intake and digestibility of West African dwarf lambs fed creep diets formulated from different nitrogen sources
Author(s) -
C. A. Ebuzor,
F. O. Ahamefule,
D. N. Onunkwo,
O. I. Prudent,
L. E. Okoye,
Stephen Nelson,
A. C. Ogbonna,
A. C. Ucheji,
V. E. Essien,
A. B. Ukonu
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
nigerian journal of animal production
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 0331-2062
DOI - 10.51791/njap.v45i2.515
Subject(s) - nutrient , creep feeding , zoology , dry matter , forage , biology , nitrogen , agronomy , chemistry , weaning , ecology , organic chemistry
A study was conducted to investigate the nutrient intake and digestibility of creep fed West African dwarf lambs maintained in a humid tropical environment. Nine lambs were completely randomized into three groups and each placed on different nutritional regimen from 6 to 16 weeks post-partum. Lambs in group 1 (control) ate forage sward suckled their dams (diet A). Groups 2 and 3 lambs, were in addition to suckling, given supplementary rations formulated to contain 10.0% Soya bean and groundnut cakes in concentrate mix, respectively. Feed intake and coefficients of digestibility for all nutrients evaluated were affected (P 0.05) in groups 2 (76.12, 85.94, 94.72 and 82.01) and 3 (74.89, 84.87, 94.45 and 80.42) while ether extract and crude fiber differed (P<0.05) in treatment 1, 2 and 3. Creep supplemented groups generally recorded better nutrient intake and digestibility. This study showed that creep feeding leads to the production of well nourished lambs with animals in group 2 (fed creep containing 10% Soya bean) showing better result in terms of parameters measured compared to those of group 3 (fed creep containing 10% groundnut cake). Thus, Soybean is a better nitrogen source for creep feeding