TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title page – – – – – – – – – i
Certification – – – – – – – – iii
Dedication – – – – – – – – – iv
Acknowledgement – – – – – – – – v
Table of contents – – – – – – – – vi
List of Tables – – – – – – – – ix
Absract – – – – – – – – x
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION – – – – 1
- Background – – – – – – – – 1
- Statement of problem – – – – – – – 5
- Objectives of the study – – – – – – 6
- Justification of the study – – – – – – 7
CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW – – – 9
2.1 Nutrition in Sheep – – – – – – – 9
2.2 Essential nutrient requirement of Sheep – – – – 13
2.2.1 Energy – – – – – – – – 14
2.2.2 Proteins – – – – – – – – 14
2.2.3 Water – – – – – – – – – 16
2.2.4 Minerals – – – – – – – – 17
2.2.5 Vitamins – – – – – – – – 18
2.3 Bambara nut waste – – – – – – – 19
2.4 Brewers spent grain – – – – – – – 23
2.5 Supplementary feeding – – – – – – 27
2.6 Digestibility – – – – – – – – 29
2.6.1 Factors affecting digestibility – – – – – 32
2.6.2 Measurement of digestibility – – – – – 37
2.6.3 Validity of digestibility coefficient – – – – 41
2.7 Protein requirement of ruminants – – – – – 43
2.8 Blood plasma ammonia and its toxicity – – – – 44
2.9 Blood plasma urea – – – – – – – 47
CHAPTER THREE: MATERIALS AND METHODS – 49
3.1 Location of Study – – – – – – – 49
3.2 Experimental Animals – – – – – – 49
3.3 Plan of Study – – – – – – – – 49
3.4 Duration of the Study – – – – – – – 50
3.5 Experimental procedure and Data collection – – – 50
3.6 Experimental Design – – – – – – – 55
3.7 Proximate and Statistical analysis – – – – – 56
CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION – – 57
4.1.1 Experiment 1 – – – – – – – – 57
4.1.1.1 Proximate composition of Brewers spent grain and Bambara
nut waste used as dry season supplements. – – – 57
4.1.1.2 Effects of dry season supplementation of Bambara nut waste
and dry Brewers spent grain on growth performance of West
African Dwarf Sheep. – – – – – – 58
4.1.2 Cost implication of feeding sheep with Bambara nut waste
and dry Brewers spent grain. – – – – – 61
4.1.3 Experiment 2 – – – – – – – – 63
4.1.3.1 Nutrient intake – – – – – – – 63
4.1.3.2 Digestibility Coefficients of supplements – – – 64
4.2 DISCUSSION – – – – – – – – – – 66
4.2.1 Proximate composition of supplements – – – 66
4.2.2 Effects of dry season supplementation of Bambara nut waste and dry Brewers spent grain on growth performance of West African Dwarf Sheep. – – – – – – 68
4.2.3 Cost implication of feeding sheep with Bambara nut waste and dry Brewers spent grain supplements. – – – 70
4.2.4 Nutrient intake and digestibility coefficients of sheep fed Bambara nut waste and dry Brewers spent grain supplements. 71
CHAPTER FIVE: SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION – – 73
REFERENCES – – – – – – – – 75
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: Proximate Composition of brewers dry grain. – 28
Table 2: Proximate Composition of Brewers spent and Bambara nut waste used as supplements. – – – – 60
Table 3: Effects of dry season supplementation of Bambara nut waste and dry Brewers spent grain on growth
performance of Sheep. – – – – – 62
Table 4: Cost implication of feeding sheep with Bambara nut waste and dry Brewers spent grain supplements. – 65
Table 5: Nutrient intake values of sheep fed with Bambara nut waste and dry Brewers spent grain supplements. – 66
Table 6: Digestibility Coefficient of supplements – – 68
ABSTRACT
Two feeding trials were conducted to investigate the growth and physiological response of sheep fed forage with and without supplementary bambara nut waste or brewers spent grain. First trial (Experiment I) assesed the effects of dry season supplementation of bambara nut waste or dry brewers spent grain on growth performance and blood metabolites (blood plasma ammonia and blood plasma urea) of West African dwarf sheep, while the Experiment 2 investigated the digestibility coefficients of bambara nut waste and dry brewers spent grain. In experiment 1, nine sheep (six females and three males) were randomly divided into three treatment groups at three sheep per treatment with one sheep serving as a replicate. The first group (control) was allowed to graze only. They were herded out at 08:00hours and brought back at 5:00hours. The second and third groups were given 500g of dry brewers spent grain or bambara nut waste at 8;00hours and at 11:00 hours,, thereafter they grazed for the rest of the day. Feed intake and body weights of the animals were recorded. The animals were allowed a pre-experimental period of 3weeks while the feeding trial itself lasted for ten weeks (December – February). At 3 weeks blood was collected from the animals for 4 days to determine the blood metabolites. In experiment 2, six sheep (four females and two males) were allowed a preliminary period of 14days, followed by7days faecal collection. They were randomly divided into two groups (treatments) of three sheep per treatment with one sheep serving as a replicate. One group was fed dry Brewers spent grain and the other group fed bambara nut waste. Experiment 1 was carried out using a completely randomized design (CRD). The supplement intake for the first experiment, the cost implication of using the two supplements, the proximate composition, nutrient intake for the second experiment and the digestibility coefficients were compared using t-test. In experiment 1 there were no significant (P>0.05) differences between the two supplements in dry matter, ash, ether extract and nitrogen- free extract while significant (P<0.05) differences existed between the two supplements in crude protein, crude fibre and gross energy contents. Sheep on treatments 2 and 3 had similar (P > 0.05) average final body weight, average daily weight gain, average body weight change, blood plasma ammonia concentration, blood plasma urea concentration and cost implication of feeding the two supplements, which were significantly P < 0.05) higher than those of treatment 1while sheep on treatment 3 had higher (P<0.05), feed intake treatment 1,t had the lowest. In experiment 2 results showed that while there were significant (P<0.05) differences between the two supplements in the intake of dry matter, crude protein, ether extract and nitrogen- free extract, there were no significant (P>0.05) differences between the two supplements in apparent dry matter nutrients digestibility coefficients. Based on the results obtained this present study, any of the supplements can be used in dry season feeding of sheep for improved growth performance of sheep.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
- BACKGROUND
The need to produce food especially animal protein to feed the ever increasing human population is a major problem in developing countries. Livestock account for one third of Nigeria’s agricultural GDP, providing income, employment, food, fiber, manure and transport. They are also a major source of government revenue (Babatunde, 1998). Livestock especially ruminants, are the most efficient users of uncultivated land and can contribute substantially to crop production. Proteins are very essential for the continued existence of man and there is a strong agreement that animal protein products such as meat, egg and milk etc are very crucial to man. This is because of the ability of these products to furnish excellent balance of essential amino acids necessary for normal growth and development. The proteins of animal origin are good sources of lysine and sulphur amino acids, which are low in proteins of plant origin (Omole, 1991). The demand for animal protein in the tropics, for example, Nigeria has been on the increase because of the rise in human population within the region.
Intake of animal protein at present is 4.82g/head/day (Tewe, 1999) as against a minimum required 35g recommended by Food and Agricultural Organization (F.A.O.) (Tewe, 1999). In Europe the actual average consumptions is put at 45g/head/day and in North America it is 70g/head/day (Tewe, 1999). The task facing any animal scientist in Nigeria is to increase the production of livestock products to make animal products available to our people especially the rural populace.
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