Performance and Digestion of African Star Apple Meal-based Diet in West African Dwarf Goats

Abstract

This study was conducted to determine the growth performance of West African Dwarf (WAD) goats fed African Star Apple based diets. A total of sixteen (16) WAD goats of both sexes were randomly allotted into four experimental treatments in a complete randomized design. Four experimental mash diets were compounded with the inclusion of Chrysophullum albidum replacing wheat offal at 0, 10, 20 and 30% (T1, T2, T3 and T4, respectively) graded levels. These diets were fed to the goats at 3% of their body weight as a supplement to the basal diet of Panicum maximum. The experiment lasted for 16 weeks. The proximate composition of the experimental diets indicated that dry matter was higher in T1 than in other diets. Diets containing inclusion levels of Chrysophyllum albidum (T2, T3 and T4) were higher in crude protein, crude fibre, ether extract and ash contents than the T1 diet. However, goats fed diets T1 and T2 had significantly higher total weight and average daily gain than T3 and T4. The feed conversion was best in goats fed the T2 diet, followed by T1, T3 and T4. Goats fed diet T2 had significantly higher crude protein, crude fibre and ether extract digestibility coefficients compared to goats fed other diets. It could be concluded that the inclusion of Chrysophullum albidum in the diets of WAD goats at 10% led to optimum performance characteristics and digestibility coefficients.