2020 SCIENCELINE

O nline J ournal of A nimal and F eed R esearch

Volume 10, Issue 5: 231-239; September 25, 2020

ISSN 2228-7701

INFLUENCE OF PELLETED BROWSE-BASED SUPPLEMENTS FED

WITH A BASAL DIET OF Andropogon gayanus HAY ON INTAKE,

DIGESTIBILITY, GROWTH AND HAEMATO-BIOCHEMICAL INDICES

IN WEST AFRICAN DWARF GOAT



Leonard ADJORLOLO¹, Emmanuel AMPONG², Akwasi MENSAH-BONSU³and Frederick OBESE²

¹Livestock and Poultry Research Centre, School of Agriculture, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana

²Department of Animal Science, School of Agriculture, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana

³Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness, School of Agriculture, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana



Email: fobese@ug.edu.gh;

: 0000-0001-6747-4786

^Supporting Information

ABSTRACT: This study evaluated the nutritional value of pelleted supplements based on four major feed

resources fed to small ruminants by smallholder farmers in the Accra Plains. Leaves of Samanea saman, Acacia

auriculiformis and Ficus exasperata, and cassava peels were dried, milled, mixed with other ingredients and

pelleted to form Samanea saman (SS-S), Acacia auriculiformis (AA-S), Ficus exasperata (FE-S) and cassava peel

(CP-S) based supplements. The supplements were fed to twenty West African Dwarf goats on a basal diet of

Andropogon gayanus (Gamba grass) hay in a completely randomised design experiment. Voluntary intake of dry

matter did not differ (P>0.05) by the type of supplement. However, crude protein intake was higher (P<0.05) in

goats fed FE-S than those fed CP-S. Acid detergent fibre intake was higher (P<0.05) for SS-S, AA-S and FE-S than

CP-S. Digestibility of dry matter, organic matter, crude protein, acid detergent fibre and neutral detergent fibre

were lowest (P<0.05) for goats on CP-S. Average daily weight gain and Feed conversion ratio were not affected

(P>0.05) by dietary treatments. Also, dietary treatment did not affect (P>0.05) the concentrations

haematological and blood biochemical constituents determined except urea which was higher (P<0.05) in goats

fed SS-S than the other treatments. In conclusion, the above results suggest that browse-based and cassava

peel-based supplements could be fed to confined goats on roughage diets especially in the dry season without

any deleterious effects on intake, growth and physiology of goats.

Keywords: Accra plains, Performance, Shrub Leaves, Smallholder Farmers, Supplementation

Abbreviations: AA-S: Acacia auriculiformis-based supplement; ADMD: Apparent digestibility of dry matter; ANOVA: Analysis of

variance; AOAC: Association of Official Analytical chemists; CP-s: cassava peel-based supplement; FE-B: Ficus exasperata-

based supplement; LIPREC: Livestock and Poultry Research Centre; MCV: mean corpuscular volume; MCH: mean corpuscular

haemoglobin; MCHC: mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration; PCV: packed cell volume; RBC: red blood cell; SEM:

standard error of mean; SS-S: Samanea saman-based supplement; T. Cholesterol: total cholesterol; WBC: white blood cell

INTRODUCTION

Small ruminant production is a major livelihood diversification strategy among smallholder farmers in Ghana. Often,

animals are grazed extensively on natural pasture with little or no feed supplementation coupled with minimal health

care (Baiden and Obese, 2010 ). However, restrictions in animal movement, especially during the cropping seasons, are

now compelling many small ruminant keepers to fully or partially confine their animals. Feeding of confined small

ruminants is often inadequate and such animals perform less than their free-roaming counterparts (Baah et al., 2012 ).

The challenges associated with confinement in the cropping season, coupled with the scarcity of quality feed during the

dry season severely constrain small ruminant production in Ghana (Adjorlolo et al., 2016) affecting income generation.

Slow growth rate, unstable weight gains, lowered resistance to diseases and reproductive problems of small ruminants

have been reported in these instances (Annor et al., 2007, Konlan, 2010 ). The provision of appropriate supplementary

feed which can supply substantial amounts of dietary energy, protein and minerals would be an important step in

enhancing the productivity of ruminants in Ghana.

Recently, Adjorlolo et al. (2020) fed pelleted Samanea saman, Acacia auriculiformis and Ficus exasperata leaf meal-

based diets and cassava peel meal- based diet as supplements to West African Dwarf sheep fed on a basal diet of

Andropogon gayanus (Gamba grass) hay and concluded that they were acceptable to sheep and could help improve

performance on low quality forages.

Currently, there is lack of information on the utilization of browse-based pelleted feed supplements on the growth

and physiology of the West African Dwarf goat the most popular goat breed in Ghana. This study therefore evaluated the

effects of pelleted Samanea saman (SS-S), Acacia auriculiformis (AA-S), Ficus exasperata (FE-S) and cassava peel-based

231

Citation: Adjorlolo L, Ampong E, Mensah-Bonsu A and F Obese (2020). Influence of pelleted browse-based supplements fed with a basal diet of Andropogon gayanus

hay on intake, digestibility, growth and haemato-biochemical indices in West African Dwarf goat. Online J. Anim. Feed Res., 10(5): 231-239.

(CP-S) supplements on feed intake, growth rate and blood profiles of West African goats fed basal diet of Andropogon

gayanus (Gamba) grass hay.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Study area

The study was conducted at the Livestock and Poultry Research Centre (LIPREC) of the University of Ghana (05⁰68'

N, 00⁰10' W) in the Coastal Savannah belt of Ghana, West Africa. Annual rainfall averages 881 mm per annum but with a

high degree of variability. The rainy season was from April to June, the minor season was from September to October, and

the dry season from November to March (Adjorlolo et al., 2014 ). `

Experimental animals and their management

West African Dwarf goats were housed in individual pens with concrete floors. The housing unit had roofs made of

corrugated iron sheets. The pens were 3m × 1.5m in dimension. Each pen had one wooden feeding trough for the basal

diet and two plastic troughs, one for the supplement and the other for water, similar to the study by Adjorlolo et al. (2020).

The animals were treated against external parasites with pour-on acaricide and dewormed with Albendazole (10%), a

broad-spectrum anthelminthic. All the procedures in this study were approved by the Noguchi Memorial Institute for

Medical Research Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (NIACUC), University of Ghana (NIACUC Protocol No:

2017-03-2R).

Preparation of experimental diets

Leaves of three browse plants, namely, Samanea saman, Acacia auriculiformis and Ficus exasperata were harvested

from trees and shrubs within the study area and shade-dried. Cassava peels were bought from gari producers and sun-

dried. The dried leaves and cassava peels were ground with a hammer mill (1-mm screen) into meals and each mixed

with other ingredients (Table 1) and pelleted. Andropogon gayanus (Gamba grass) was harvested at the flowering and

seeding stage, sun-dried and tied in bundles for storage.

Table 1 - Ingredient composition of supplements used in the study

Supplements

Ingredients: (g/kg)

SS-S

159

120

AA-S

124

135

FE-S

165

108

CP-S

650

Maize

Wheat bran

Mineral salt

Dicalcium phosphate

Sulphate of ammonia

Urea

Cassava peels

Samanea saman

Acacia auriculiformis

Ficus exasperata

Total (Kg)

700

1000

160.7

700

1000

160.6

1000

160.1

1000

160.7

Crude protein (Calculated)

CP-S: cassava peels-based; SS-S: Samanea saman-based; AA-S: Acacia auriculiformis-based and FE-S: Ficus exasperate based supplements

The pelleted supplements were formulated to be isonitrogenous using literature values of nitrogen concentrations in

the browses and cassava peels. The dietary treatments were as follows:

SS-S = Gamba grass hay + Samanea saman leaf meal-based supplement

AA-S = Gamba grass hay + Acacia auriculiformis leaf meal-based supplement

FE-S = Gamba grass hay + Ficus exasperata leaf meal-based supplement

CP-S = Gamba grass hay + Cassava peel meal-based supplement

Voluntary feed intake and growth study

The voluntary feed intake and growth studies were carried out using twenty young West African Dwarf goats with an

initial average live weight of 10.7 ± 2.3 kg. They were allocated randomly to four experimental diets with each treatment

having five replicates (five goats per treatment) in a completely randomized design. Animals in each treatment group

were offered Gamba grass hay as basal diet and either of the three browses or cassava peel- based supplements.

Supplements were offered at about 08:00 hours each day. Supplement allowance was about one percent of each

animal’s body weight (about 25% of voluntary intake). After each goat had consumed all the supplement provided, the

basal diet was offered ad libitum. Animals were allowed 14 days to adjust to the diet after which daily feed intake and

fortnightly body weights were taken for eleven weeks (77 days). Feed intake was determined daily as the difference

between weight of feed offered and refusals.

232

Citation: Adjorlolo L, Ampong E, Mensah-Bonsu A and F Obese (2020). Influence of pelleted browse-based supplements fed with a basal diet of Andropogon gayanus

hay on intake, digestibility, growth and haemato-biochemical indices in West African Dwarf goat. Online J. Anim. Feed Res., 10(5): 231-239.

Digestibility study

For the digestibility studies, faecal collection bags were used to collect faecal samples from goats on the feeding

trial. Faecal samples were taken from two goats per treatment for six days during the final week of the feeding trial. The

faecal samples were stored in a refrigerator after collection. They were bulked for each goat and oven-dried at 55℃ to a

constant weight for dry matter (DM) determination. The dried faeces were ground through a 1.0mm sieve using a

laboratory mill and bagged pending further analysis. Apparent digestibility of dry matter (ADMD%), was calculated as:

ADMD (%) = (^{퐷푀 푖푛푡푎푘푒−퐹푎푒푐푎푙 퐷푀}) × 100)

퐷푀 푖푛푡푎푘푒

Similar calculations were followed to determine apparent digestibility of organic matter, crude protein, neutral

detergent fibre, acid detergent fibre.

Chemical analysis of feed and faeces

Feed and faecal samples were analysed for dry matter, organic matter, crude protein and total ash according to the

methods of AOAC (2004). Neutral detergent fibre (NDF), acid detergent fibre (ADF) and lignin were determined according

to the method of Van Soest et al. (1991).

Blood sampling

Blood samples were collected every two weeks (week 1, 3,5, 7 and 9) from the jugular vein of each sheep using a

vacutainer needle. Sampling was done in the morning, between 07:30 and 08:00 hours. A total of 10 ml of blood sample

was collected and 4 ml transferred into a glass vacutainer tube containing the anticoagulant tripotassium ethylene

diamine tetra acetic acid (K3.EDTA). The tubes were placed on ice and transported immediately to the Laboratory for

haematological analysis. The remaining 6 ml was transferred into glass vacutainer tubes containing clot (Gel) activator.

This was placed on ice pack and also transported to the Laboratory where it was centrifuged at 3000 rpm for 10 minutes

at 4⁰C. The sera obtained were gently harvested into Eppendorf tubes and stored at -20⁰C until the analyzed for

biochemical parameters.

Haematological analysis

The haemoglobin concentration was determined by the cyanmethaemoglobin method (Gillet et al., 2009 ), while PCV

was estimated by the microhaematocrit method (Samour, 2006 ). The RBC and WBC counts were determined using the

haemocytometer. Total RBC count was determined using the formula given by Samour (2006):

RBC (10¹²/L) = _ꢀꢁꢁ, Where: L= Litre ; N = Number of cells counted in 160 small squares.

Total WBC counts was estimated using the formula given by Campbell (1995): WBC (10⁹/L) = ^{N x ꢀꢁ x 2ꢁꢁ}, where:

L= litre; N = number of cells counted in nine small squares.

The RBC indices were computed using the formulas provided by Reece and Swenson (2004) below:

푃푉퐶

MCV(fL) = ꢂ ꢃ x 10

푅퐵퐶

퐻푏

MCH(pg) = ( ) x 10

푅퐵퐶

퐻푏

MCHC(g/dL) = ( ) x 100

푃퐶푉

In determining the differential WBC counts, thin smears of blood were made from blood samples obtained from

venipuncture, on well ethanol-cleaned, grease-free microscope slides. They were air-dried, fixed in absolute methanol and

stained with Giemsa stain. Stained slides were studied under oil immersion objective at 1000X magnification.

Percentages of neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, eosinophils and basophils were all determined based on

observation of 200 WBC per film.

Blood biochemical analysis

The concentrations of glucose, total proteins, albumin, total cholesterol, urea, sodium and potassium were

determined in the serum at weeks 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 using the Mindray BA -88A Semi-Auto Chemistry Analyzer (Nanshan,

China). Globulin concentration was computed as the difference between total protein and albumin concentrations.

Statistical analyses

Data from the feed intake, growth and digestibility studies were subjected to Analysis of variance procedure

(ANOVA) of GenStat Release 12th Edition (VSN International, 2009), whilst that of the blood parameters was analyzed

using repeated measures analysis of variance procedure of GenStat (VSN International, 2009). The Least significant

difference procedure of GenStat was used to separate the means at 5% level of significance.

RESULTS

Chemical composition of feed ingredients and supplements

The chemical composition of the basal diet (Gamba grass hay), the three browses (Samanea, Acacia and Ficus) and

cassava peels are presented in Table 2. The basal diet, the leaf meals of the three browses and cassava peels had

comparable dry matter contents (88.3 to 91.4%) and organic matter (81.1 to 85.3%) contents. Apart from cassava peels

233

Citation: Adjorlolo L, Ampong E, Mensah-Bonsu A and F Obese (2020). Influence of pelleted browse-based supplements fed with a basal diet of Andropogon gayanus

hay on intake, digestibility, growth and haemato-biochemical indices in West African Dwarf goat. Online J. Anim. Feed Res., 10(5): 231-239.

all the leaf meals of the three browses had higher crude protein than Gamba grass hay. Also, all the leaf meals of the

browses and cassava peel-meal had lower neutral detergent fibre and lignin contents than Gamba grass. The chemical

composition of the experimental supplements are shown in Table 3. AA-S had the highest crude protein content (22.3%)

while CP-S had the least (15.9%).

Influence of supplements on voluntary intakes in West African Dwarf goat

Intakes of crude protein and acid detergent fibre were influenced by the type of supplement offered (Table 4). Sheep

fed FE-S had higher (P<0.05) crude protein intake than those fed CP-S. Acid detergent fibre intake was higher (P<0.05) for

SS-S, AA-S and FE-S than CP-S. The dry matter, organic matter, neutral detergent fibre and lignin intakes were however

similar across dietary treatments.

Digestibility of nutrients by West African Dwarf goat

Digestibility of dry matter, organic matter, crude protein and detergent fibre were all influenced by the type of

supplement fed (Table 5). Dry matter digestibility was similar for SS-S, AA-S and FE-S but higher (P<0.05) than CP-B.

Crude protein and neutral detergent fibre digestibilities also followed a similar tend to that of dry matter digestibility.

Organic matter digestibility was higher (P<0.05) for sheep fed SS-S and FE-S than those fed CP-S. Also, the acid detergent

fibre digestibility in goats fed SS-S or AA-S were higher (P<0.05) than those fed CP-B.

Daily weight gain and feed conversion ratio

Average daily weight gain and feed conversion ratios did not differ (P>0.05) with the type of supplement (Table 6).

None of the supplements led to weight loss in the goats.

Table 2 - Chemical composition of leaf meals of browses, cassava peel meal and Andropogon gayanus hay

Cassava

Peels

Fraction (%)

Grass hay

Samanea

Acacia

Ficus

Dry matter

91.4

6.2

81.1

72.2

43.5

7.1

90.9

22.6

84.6

53.8

36.6

5.5

90.7

14.5

83.2

62.1

47.8

7.1

89.8

14.4

85.3

54.4

42.5

5.8

88.3

5.2

82.9

46.9

28.7

3.8

Crude protein

Organic matter

Neutral detergent fibre

Acid detergent fibre

Lignin

Total ash

11.4

6.5

8.5

6.4

5.1

Table 3 - Chemical composition of the experimental supplements

Supplement

AA-S

Fraction (%)

SS-S

FE-S

CP-S

89.7

15.9

84.1

42.9

31.8

3.9

Dry matter

89.9

19.1

85.2

46.5

28.5

4.1

90.4

22.3

84.1

49.1

33.8

4.4

90.8

21.7

82.4

46.3

19.4

5.3

Crude protein

Organic matter

Neutral detergent fibre

Acid detergent fibre

Lignin

CP-S: cassava peels-based; SS-S: Samanea saman-based; AA-S: Acacia auriculiformis-based and FE-S: Ficus exasperata-based supplements

Table 4 - Influence of supplements on voluntary intakes in West African Dwarf goat

Treatments

Parameter (g/day)

SEM

P-value

SS-S

AA-S

FE-S

CP-S

Dry matter intake

Organic matter

Crude protein intake

Neutral detergent fibre intake

321.2

297

47.3^ab

54.3

306.3

282

50.3^ab

55.6

388.7

353

54.2^a

69.0

361.9

334

45.1^b

58.5

24.5

22.5

2.84

5.63

0.084

0.109

0.011

0.212

Acid detergent fibre intake

Lignin intake

36.9^a

27.9

40.0^a

31.4

41.4^a

30.2

25.5^b

21.0

3.59

3.63

<0.001

0.119

^a,b,Means within a row with different superscripts differ significantly at P<0.05; SEM: standard error of mean; CP-S: cassava peels-based; SS-

S: Samanea saman based; AA-S: Acacia auriculiformis-based and FE-S: Ficus exasperata-based supplements

234

Citation: Adjorlolo L, Ampong E, Mensah-Bonsu A and F Obese (2020). Influence of pelleted browse-based supplements fed with a basal diet of Andropogon gayanus

hay on intake, digestibility, growth and haemato-biochemical indices in West African Dwarf goat. Online J. Anim. Feed Res., 10(5): 231-239.

Table 5 - Digestibility of components of feed as influenced by supplementation

Supplements

Fraction (%)

SEM

P-value

SS-S

AA-S

FE-S

CP-S

Dry matter

Organic matter

Crude protein

Neutral detergent fibre

Acid detergent fibre

57.5^a

52.4^a

46.4^a

38.4^a

33.4^ab

56.8^a

51.2^ab

47.2^a

40.2^a

34.2^a

62.7^a

58.6^a

46.5^a

36.2^a

29.5^bc

47.7^b

43.1^b

38.7^b

30.7^b

26.8^c

2.85

3.10

1.36

1.34

1.37

<0.012

<0.018

<0.001

<0.004

^a,b,c,Means within a row with different superscripts differ significantly at P<0.05.; SEM: standard error of mean; CP-S: cassava peels-based; SS-

S: Samanea saman based; AA-S: Acacia auriculiformis-based and FE-S: Ficus exasperata-based supplements

Table 6 – Effect of supplementation on growth parameters in West African Dwarf goats

Supplements

SEM

P-value

Parameter

SS-S

AA-S

FE-S

CP-S

Initial weight (kg)

Final weight (kg)

Average daily gain (g/d)

Feed intake (g)

10.9

11.8

10.8

321.2

33.6

9.75

10.63

10.54

306.3

35.1

12.00

12.80

9.64

388.7

50.7

10.75

11.88

13.55

361.9

27.9

1.33

1.23

2.96

32.7

12.7

0.436

0.399

0.612

0.084

0.330

Feed conversion ratio

SEM: Standard error of mean; CP-S: cassava peels-based; SS-S: Samanea saman based; AA-S: Acacia auriculiformis-based and FE-S: Ficus

exasperata-based supplements

Haematological and serum biochemical parameters in West African Dwarf sheep

At the end of the study, dietary treatment did not affect all the haematological and serum biochemical indices

measured except serum urea concentrations which was higher (P<0.05) in goats fed SS-S than those fed AA-S, FE-S and

CP-S (Table 7). Generally, the concentrations of most of the haemato-biochemical indices remained relatively stable and

showed similar trends across dietary treatments during the period of study (Figures 1 and 2).

Table 7 - Haematological and serum biochemical parameters of West African Dwarf goat fed basal diet of

Andropogon gayanus hay and supplements

Treatments

Reference

Range¹

Parameters

SEM

P-value

SS-S

AA-S

FE-S

CP-S

Haematological Indices

Haemoglobin (g/dL)

PCV (%)

RBC (x10¹²g/L)

MCV (fL)

10.3

26.7

13.6

20.0

7.85

39.2

11.7

50.8

46.9

0.6

10.1

24.6

12.2

20.4

8.47

41.8

12.0

48.6

50.1

0.90

0.50

0.00

10.0

23.1

11.6

20.6

9.23

44.9

11.9

45.4

51.6

1.84

1.08

0.00

10.1

24.9

12.5

20.1

8.30

41.3

11.5

44.0

53.0

1.40

1.15

0.00

0.122

1.520

0.865

0.701

0.584

2.29

0.639

2.45

2.64

0.265

0.350

0.351

0.910

0.344

0.317

0.934

0.189

0.360

0.091

0.372

0.000

8 – 12

22 – 38

8 – 18

16 – 25

5 – 8

30 – 36

4 – 13

30 – 48

50 - 70

1 – 8

MCH (pg)

MCHC (g/dL)

WBC (x10⁹/L)

Neutrophils (%)

Lymphocyte (%)

Eosinophils (%)

Monocytes (%)

Basophils (%)

0.372

0.480

0.000

1.68

0.00

0 – 4

0 – 1

Serum Biochemical Indices

Glucose (mmol/L)

Total protein (g/L)

Albumin (g/L)

1.20

60.3

29.8

1.30

55.7

29.3

1.50

55.6

28.7

1.49

59.4

28.1

0.130

0.260

0.090

0.261

0.145

0.519

2.78 - 4.16

60 – 70

27 – 39

Globulin (g/L)

Total cholesterol (mmol/L)

Urea (mmol/L)

Sodium (mmol/L)

Potassium(mmol/L)

30.6

3.43

9.39

162

26.4

3.37

5.74

154

26.9

4.00

6.51

159

31.3

4.28

6.17

156

0.220

0.461

0.810

4.62

0.291

0.097

0.016

0.568

0.937

27 – 41

2.07 – 3.37

3.6 – 7.1

139 – 149

4.5 – 6.7

5.97

6.18

6.17

6.09

0.290

^a,bMeans within a row with different superscripts differ significantly at P<0.05.; SEM: Standard error of mean; CP-S: cassava peels-based; SS-

S: Samanea saman based; AA-S: Acacia auriculiformis-based and FE-S: Ficus exasperata-based supplements. ¹Merck Manual (2012).

235

Citation: Adjorlolo L, Ampong E, Mensah-Bonsu A and F Obese (2020). Influence of pelleted browse-based supplements fed with a basal diet of Andropogon gayanus

hay on intake, digestibility, growth and haemato-biochemical indices in West African Dwarf goat. Online J. Anim. Feed Res., 10(5): 231-239.

SS-S

AA-S

FE-S

CP-S

Period of sampling (weeks)

Figure 1 - Changes in haemoglobin concentration in West African Dwarf sheep. CP-S: cassava peels-based; SS-S:

Samanea saman based; AA-S: Acacia auriculiformis-based and FE-S: Ficus exasperata-based supplements.

SS-S

AA-S

FE-S

CP-S

Period of sampling (weeks)

Figure 2 - Changes in total protein concentration in West African Dwarf sheep. CP-S: cassava peels-based; SS-S:

Samanea saman based; AA-S: Acacia auriculiformis-based and FE-S: Ficus exasperata-based supplements.

DISCUSSION

The crude protein content of Samanea, Acacia and Ficus were higher than the mean values reported in the literature

(Abdu et al., 2012; Bello et al., 2014; Delgado et al., 2014 ) probably due to varietal or environmental differences. Sheep

fed FE-S had higher (P<0.05) crude protein intake than those fed CP-S. This may be due to the higher crude protein

content of FE-S resulting from the higher crude protein content of the Ficus leaf meal used (14.4%) compared with values

as low as 6.9% reported by Bello et al. (2012). The crude protein intake range of 45.1 to 54.2 g/day in this study was

236

Citation: Adjorlolo L, Ampong E, Mensah-Bonsu A and F Obese (2020). Influence of pelleted browse-based supplements fed with a basal diet of Andropogon gayanus

hay on intake, digestibility, growth and haemato-biochemical indices in West African Dwarf goat. Online J. Anim. Feed Res., 10(5): 231-239.

lower than the 59.6 to 67.0 g/day reported in an earlier study when the same supplements were fed to sheep (Adjorlolo

et al., 2020 ).

The lower dry matter digestibility in sheep fed CP-S compared to the other treatments could be attributed to lower

crude protein intake of this supplement. This suggests that for goats on grass hay nitrogen is the more limiting nutrient for

the rumen microbes, compared with starch which is high in the cassava peels. Also, anti-nutritional factors such as

cyanogenic glycosides in the cassava peels might have slowed down microbial action and thereby decreased dry matter

digestibility. Anti-nutritional factors are known to interfere with normal digestion, metabolism and absorption of nutrients

(Gilani et al., 2005 ). Crude protein and neutral detergent fibre digestibility also followed a similar tend to that of dry

matter digestibility. The higher crude protein intake of goats fed SS-S, AA-S and FE-S based diets over CP-B diets could

have enhanced the digestibility of crude protein and neutral detergent fibre in these supplements than the CP-B. The

leaves of trees and shrubs are high in readily degradable nitrogen and some by-pass protein. Inclusion of such browses in

ruminant diets will cause faster fermentation rate and substrate degradation hence increasing dry matter intake. The dry

matter and crude protein digestibility obtained in the present study were comparable to the 54.7 to 68% and 44.0 to

59.0% respectively reported when Red Sokoto goats were fed elephant grass (Pennisetum purpereum) ensiled with

varying proportions of cassava peels (Olorunnisomo, 2011 ).

The high organic matter digestibility for AA-S and FE-S diets than CP-S could be due to the provision of adequate

nutrients to the rumen microbes with consequent improvement in organic matter intake whilst higher levels of cyanogenic

glycosides in CP-S adversely affected rumen microbial activity resulting in lower organic matter digestibility. Also, the

lower crude protein digestibility in goats fed CP-S may account for their lowest organic matter digestibility. The neutral

detergent fibre digestibility was higher for SS-S, AA-S and FE-S than CP-B probably due to moderate concentrations of

secondary metabolites in the Samanea, Acacia and Ficus leaf meals that might have had positive influence on rumen

microbes in accordance with some reports that low or moderate concentrations of secondary metabolites positively

impacts rumen fermentation (Salem et al., 2006; Jiménez-Peralta, 2011 ). The low crude protein level in CP-S could have

inhibited rumen activity thus decreasing digestibility of neutral detergent fibre of goats fed that diet.

Similarity in weight gain for goats on CP-S to the other treatments, in spite of the differences in digestibility, may

suggest similar metabolisable energy intake due to higher level of digestible starch in cassava peels. Daily weight gain in

this study ranged from 9.64 to 13.6 g/day and feed conversion ratio ranged from 27.9 to 50.7 respectively. The average

daily weight gains were comparable to the 10.4 to 18.7 g/day obtained when Philippine native goats were fed

concentrates with different inclusion levels of Samanea Saman (Morais et al., 2018) but lower than in other studies when

goats were fed grass- hay basal diets or grass and silage diets supplemented with browse tree leaves or leguminous tree

foliage (Okoruwa, 2020; Okoruwa and Ikhimioya, 2020).

Blood indices serve as useful indicators of nutritional, physiologic, metabolic and health status of farm animals

(Mirzadeh et al., 2010; Onasanya et al., 2015 ) and hence essential in evaluating the suitability of introduced feed

resources. The non—significant but similar concentrations of haematological parameters measured in the present study

suggest similar ability of the dietary treatments in enhancing the production of haemoglobin for efficient transportation of

gases, normal synthesis of RBCs and production of enough WBCs to adequately defend the body against infections. The

inclusion of the supplements did not adversely affect the health of the goats indicating that the quality of the

supplementary diets was good to help sustain growth of goats during periods when animals rely on poor quality fodder.

The levels of the haematological parameters measured were within the normal physiological ranges reported for goats

(Merck Manual, 2012) and were also comparable to the values reported by Baiden et al. (2007), when West African Dwarf

goats were fed varying levels of cassava pulp as a replacement for cassava peels.

The higher serum urea concentrations in goats fed SS-S than those fed AA-S, FE-S and CP-S might be due to the

higher crude protein levels in the Samanea leaf meal than the Acacia and Ficus leaf meals and the cassava peel meal.

Most concentrations of the serum biochemical indices determined were within the normal physiological range reported

for goats (Merck Manual 2012) suggesting feeding the supplements did not have adverse effects on the physiology of the

West African Dwarf goats. The concentration of the biochemical parameters measured compared favourably to the values

obtained by Hassan et al. (2015) when they fed some forage shrubs made up of Acacia, Leucaena and Moringa to goats

during the dry season.

CONCLUSION

Feeding the supplements influenced feed intake and growth performance to a similar extent and did not have any

deleterious effect on the physiology and health of the goats. Therefore, all the four dietary supplements could be fed to

confined goats on roughage diets especially in the dry season to overcome the adverse effects of seasonal fluctuation in

feed quality on growth and health of goats.

DECLARATIONS

Corresponding Author

E-mail: fobese@ug.edu.gh; ORCİD: 0000-0001-6747-4786

237

Citation: Adjorlolo L, Ampong E, Mensah-Bonsu A and F Obese (2020). Influence of pelleted browse-based supplements fed with a basal diet of Andropogon gayanus

hay on intake, digestibility, growth and haemato-biochemical indices in West African Dwarf goat. Online J. Anim. Feed Res., 10(5): 231-239.

Authors’ Contribution

LA conceived the study, participated in the design of the study, contributed to data analysis and the write up of the

manuscript, EA participated in the data collection and contributed in data analysis and the write up of the manuscript, AM

was in involved the design and data analysis of the study and contributed to the write up of the manuscript. FO

participated in the design and coordination of the study, contributed to data analysis and the write up of the manuscript.

Conflict of interests

The authors have not declared any conflict of interests.

Acknowledgements

This project was made possible with financial support from the University of Ghana research fund.

REFERENCES

Abdu SB, Hasan MR, Adamu HY, Yashimi SM and Abdullahi MJ (2012). Intake, Nutrient Digestibility and Nitrogen Balance of Acacia

auriculate, Gmelina arborea, Albizia lebbeck and Butryospermum parkii by Yankasa Bucks. Iranian Journal of Applied Animal Science

2(2): 121-125. Link

I Google Scholar

Adjorlolo L, Nsoh M, Mensah-Bonsu A and Obese F (2020). Effect of pelleted browse-based feed with a basal diet of andropogon gayanus

for sheep on intake, nutrient digestibility and some haematological and blood biochemical parameters. Online Journal of Animal and

Feed Research 10 (3): 76-84. Google Scholar I DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.36380/scil.2020.ojafr11

Adjorlolo LK, Adogla-Bessa T, Amaning-Kwarteng K and Ahunu BK (2014). Seasonal effect on rumen function in sheep on range in the

Accra Plains of Ghana. Tropical Animal Health and Production, 46(7): 1223-1228. Google Scholar

https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-014-0629-y

DOI:

Adjorlolo LK, Timpong-Jones EC, Boadu S and Adogla-Bessa, T (2016). Potential contribution of neem (Azadirachta indica) leaves to dry

season feeding of ruminants in West Africa. Livestock Research for Rural Development, 28: Article #75. Google Scholar

http://www.lrrd.org/lrrd28/5/adjo28075.htm .

Annor SY, Djang-Fordjour KT and Gyamfi KA (2007). Is growth rate more important than survival and reproduction in sheep farming in

Ghana. Journal of Science and Technology 27(3): 23-38. Google Scholar DOI: 10.4314/just.v27i3.33056

AOAC (2004). Official Methods of Analysis. 18^thEd, Association of Official Analytical Chemists, Washington, D.C.

Baah J, Tuah AK, Addah W and Tait RM (2012). Small ruminant production characteristics in urban households in Ghana. Livestock

Research for Rural Development. Volume 24, Article #86. Google Scholar I DOI: http://www.lrrd.org/lrrd24/5/baah24086.htm

Baiden RY and Obese FY (2010). Performance of West African Dwarf sheep (the Djallonké) fed fattening diets containing agro-industrial

by-products in Ghana. Ghanaian Journal of Animal Science 5:60-65. URI: http://197.255.68.203/handle/123456789/1590

Google Scholar

Baiden RY, Rhule SWA, Otsyina HR, Sottie ET and Ameleke G (2007). Performance of West African dwarf sheep and goats fed varying

levels of cassava pulp as a replacement for cassava peels. Livestock Research for Rural Development, 19(3), Article # 35. Google

Scholar I DOI: http://www.lrrd.org/lrrd19/3/baid19035.htm

Bello MO, Abdul-Hammed M and Ogunbeku P (2014). Nutrient and Anti-nutrient Phytochemicals in Ficus exasperata Vahl Leaves.

International

Journal

Scientific

and

Engineering

Research

5(1):

2177-2181.

Google

Scholar

https://www.ijser.org/onlineResearchPaperViewer.aspx?Nutrient-and-Anti-nutrient-Phytochemicals.pdf

Campbell TW (1995). Avian Hematology and Cytology. 2nd Edn., Iowa State University Press, Ames, Iowa, USA.

Delgado DC, Hera R, Cairo J and Orta Y (2014). Samanea saman, a multi-purpose tree with potentialities as alternative feed for animals of

productive

interest.

Cuban

Journal

Agricultural

Google Scholar

Science

(3):

205-212.

https://www.cjascience.com/index.php/CJAS/article/view/573

GenStat (2009). GenStat for Windows 12^thed. VSN International Hemel Hempstead, UK. Google Scholar

Gilani GS, Cockell KA and Sepehr, E (2005). Effects of Antinutritional Factors on Protein Digestibility and amino Acid Availability in Foods.

Journal of AOAC International, 88 (3): 967-987. Google Scholar

Gillet P, Boei L and Jacobs J (2009). Practical Note: Tropical Haematology. Antwerpen: Prince Leopold Institute of Tropical Medicine.

Google Scholar

Hassan AA, Salma H, Hafsa A, Yacout MH, Khalel MS, Ibrahim MAR and Mocuta D (2015). Effect of feeding some forage shrubs on goats

performance and rumen fermentation in dry season. Egyptian Journal of Sheep & Goat Sciences, Proceedings Book of the 5th

International Scientific Conference on Small Ruminant Production, Sharm El Sheikh-Egypt. pp 21-36. Google Scholar I

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/292629242

Jiménez-Peralta FS, Salem AZM, Mejia-Hernández P, González-Ronquillo M, Albarrán-Portillo B, Rojo-Rubio R and Tinoco-Jaramillo JL

(2011). Influence of individual and mixed extracts of two tree species on in vitro gas production kinetics of a high concentrate diet

fed to growing lambs. Livestock Science, 136(2-3): 192-200. Google Scholar

I DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.livsci.2010.09.008

Konlan SP, Karikari PK and Ansah T (2012). Productive and blood indices of dwarf rams fed a mixture of rice straw and groundnut haulms

alone or supplemented with concentrates containing different levels of shea nut cake. Pakistan Journal of Nutrition. 11(6): 566-571.

Google Scholar

Merck Manual (2012) Hematologic and serum biochemical reference ranges. Merck Veterinary manual. Merck Manuals.com. Link 1 , Link

Google Scholar

I http://udsspace.uds.edu.gh/jspui/bitstream/123456789/559/1

Mirzadeh K, Tabatabaei S, Bojarpour M, and Mamoei M (2010). Comparative study of haematological parameters according to strain, age,

sex, physiological status and season in Iranian cattle. Journal of Animal and Veterinary Advances. 9(16): 2123-2127. Google Scholar I

DOI: 10.3923/javaa.2010.2123.2127

Morais MJ, Sevilla CC, Dizon JT, Manulat GL, Abes EEC and Angeles AA (2018). Growth Performance and Ruminal Metabolic Variables of

Goats Fed Rain Tree (Samanea saman) Pods. Tropical Animal Science Journal 41(1): 22-28. Google Scholar

I DOI:

10.5398/tasj.2018.41.1.22

238

Citation: Adjorlolo L, Ampong E, Mensah-Bonsu A and F Obese (2020). Influence of pelleted browse-based supplements fed with a basal diet of Andropogon gayanus

hay on intake, digestibility, growth and haemato-biochemical indices in West African Dwarf goat. Online J. Anim. Feed Res., 10(5): 231-239.

Okoruwa MI (2020). The effect of feeding leguminous tree foliages on performance of goats fed basal diets of grass and crop residues.

Livestock Research for Rural Development. Volume 32, Article #119. http://www.lrrd.org/lrrd32/7/odion32119.html

Okoruwa MI and Ikhimioya, I (2020). Influence of browse-tree leaves supplementation on digestibility, rumen fermentation and

performance of goats fed mixed grass hay. Livestock Research for rural Development. Volume 32, Article #93.

http://www.lrrd.org/lrrd32/6/odion32093.html

Olorunnisomo OA (2011). Elephant grass silage as dry season feed for goats: effect of cassava peel inclusion on performance and

digestibility of the mixture. Tropical Animal Production Investigation. 14(1): 36-39. Google Scholar

Link

Onasanya GO, Oke FO, Sanni TM and Muhammad AI (2015). Parameters influencing haematological, serum and bio-chemical references

in livestock animals under different management systems. Open Journal of Veterinary Medicine, 5: 181-189. Google Scholar I DOI:

https://doi.org/10.4236/ojvm.2015.58025

Reece WO and Swenson MJ (2004). The composition and functions of blood. In: Reece, W.O. (ed). Duke’s Physiology of Domestic Animals.

12th ed. Comstock Publishing Associates, Cornell University Press. Ithaca and London. p 26-51. Google Scholar

Salem AZM, Salem MZM, El-Adawya MM and Robinson PH (2006). Nutritive evaluations of some browse tree foliages during the dry

season: Secondary compounds, feed intake and in vivo digestibility in sheep and goats. Animal Feed Science and Technology 127:

251–267. Google Scholar

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anifeedsci.2005.09.005

Samour J (2006). Diagnostic value of hematology. Clinical Avian Medicine, 2: 587-610. Google Scholar

Van Soest PV, Robertson JB and Lewis BA (1991). Methods for dietary fibre, neutral detergent fibre, and nonstarch polysaccharides in

relation to animal nutrition. Journal of Dairy Science, 74(10): 3583-3597. Google Scholar

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.S0022-0302(91)78551-2

239

Citation: Adjorlolo L, Ampong E, Mensah-Bonsu A and F Obese (2020). Influence of pelleted browse-based supplements fed with a basal diet of Andropogon gayanus

hay on intake, digestibility, growth and haemato-biochemical indices in West African Dwarf goat. Online J. Anim. Feed Res., 10(5): 231-239.