EVALUATION OF EFFECT OF FEED RESTRICTION ON PHYSIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS AND PERFORMANCE IN GROWING WEST AFRICAN DWARF GOAT

OWOOJUONA,, OMOTAYO MARY (2022) EVALUATION OF EFFECT OF FEED RESTRICTION ON PHYSIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS AND PERFORMANCE IN GROWING WEST AFRICAN DWARF GOAT. Masters thesis, Landmark University, Omu Aran, Kwara State.

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Abstract

Feed restriction limits food availability for growth and output while also altering energy metabolism. Long-term feed restriction has been shown to reduce animal body weight gain, hemoglobin concentration, pack cell volume (PCV), and erythrocyte count. With scarcity of food, many animals develop adaptive biochemical and physiological responses. Twenty-four WAD goat kids (ages between 5 and 6 months) with similar weight were randomly divided into four treatments (T1, T2, T3, and T4). Treatment 1 represent 100% ad libitum feeding; T2 (30% feed time restriction and 70% ad libitum feeding); T3 (50% feed time restriction and 50% ad libitum feeding) and T4 (70% feed time restriction and 30% ad libitum feeding). The experiment was laid in a complete randomized experimental design. The animals were fed on a diet composed of a mixture of dried cassava peel (60%) supplemented with Gliricidia sepium (40%) Treatment 1, which was 100%, was fed dried cassava peel and Gliricidia sepium ad libitum for 10 hours without restriction. Treatment 2, which was 70% was fed dried cassava peel and Gliricidia sepium ad libitum for 7 hours and was restricted for 3 hours. Treatment 3, which was 50%, was fed dried cassava peel and Gliricidia sepium ad libitum for 5 hours and was restricted for 5 hours, and Treatment 4, which was 30%, was fed dried cassava peel and Gliricidia sepium ad libitum for 3 hours and was restricted for 7 hours. Data collected on feed intake, water intake, weight gained, temperature, heamatology, biochemical indices and carcass quality were analyzed using SAS (2010 package). The highest result for weekly feed intake was obtained in T1 without restriction (2.07±0.67). Across the treatments, animals in T1 had the highest values of water intake all through the 10 weeks compared to other treatments. The highest weekly weight gain was noticed in WAD goats fed in T1. Values for PCV for animals fed for10 hours, 7 hours and 3hours were all within the acceptable range of 22-38% (29.00±0.58), (23.33±0.88), (21.00±0.00). White blood cell counts, red blood cell counts, haemoglobin, and mean corpuscular volume values in all treatments were all within the recommended range of (4-13 X109/L), (8-18 X1012/L), (8-12 g/L) and (30-36 g/dl) for healthy goats. Values for total protein ranged from (26.00±1.73) to (33.00±1.15) for animals fed at 30% and 100%, respectively. This study concludes that feed restrictions in terms of time allowed for feeding affected physiological performance and biochemical indices of WAD goats. It is there by recommended that WAD goats should at least be allowed a minimum of 50% to good feeding per day. Keywords: Growing West African dwarf goats; feed time restriction; Physiological performance; Biochemical indices and Heamatology

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