Effects of different levels of dried Savannah mahogany (Khaya senegalensis (Desr.) A. Juss.) leaves as a supplement for Djallonké sheep in Burkina Faso: Identifying the optimal incorporation level
Paper Details
Effects of different levels of dried Savannah mahogany (Khaya senegalensis (Desr.) A. Juss.) leaves as a supplement for Djallonké sheep in Burkina Faso: Identifying the optimal incorporation level
Abstract
Browse species are underutilized due to the low availability and poor quality of herbaceous forages during the dry season. The incorporation’s levels of these browse fodder into animal diets are poorly documented. This study aimed to determine the optimal incorporation’s rate of dried Khaya senegalensis leaves in the diet of Djallonké sheep. The trial was conducted with 20 rams aged 20 to 38 months. They were divided into five groups and fed diets containing 0, 15, 30, 70 or 100 % dried K. senegalensis leaves. The animals were fed a base diet of dried K. senegalensis leaves, combined with Pennisetum pedicellatum hay. The measured parameters included voluntary feed intake, apparent nutrient digestibility, average daily gain (ADG) and feed conversion ratio (FCR). The results showed the diet containing 100% of dried K. senegalensis leaves recorded the highest voluntary intake of dry matter (83.11 g/ kg BW0.75) and crude proteins intake (12 g/ /kg BW0.75). In contrast, the best dry matter digestibility (65.19%) and crude proteins digestibility (63.39%) were obtained with T70. Moreover, the most efficient utilization of the diets was observed at this integration level, which resulted in an ADG of 36.72 g/day and a FCR of 19.64. The FCR values observed at 30% rate, were similar to those at 70% and the ADG value (31.21 g/day) were also close to those of T70. These results suggest that the incorporation rate of 30% into diets could be the most recommended for the rational and optimized management of dried K. senegalensis leaves.
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