Effect of concentrate supplementation to browsing on performance of growing rams in a semi-arid environment

Abstract

Nineteen Balami rams, averaging 17 kg body weight, were involved in a study to determine effects of level of concentrate supplementation at 100, 75, 50, 25 and 0% to browsing on body weight gain, carcass quality, feed efficiency, feed consumption and cost of feed per unit of lean meat produced. Browsed plants included Acacia albida, Acacia senegal, Clover sp., Gmelina sp., Piliostigma reticulatum, Oldenlandia sp., Roselle sp., Sorghum bicolor, Zizyphus mauritiana and Zizyphus spina-christi. Average daily gains (kg/day) were 0.160, 0.20, 0.130, 0.06, and 0.04 kg for rams on the five rations. Gains and average daily gain were significantly increased for rams on the 75% supplement compared with control (0%) or 25% supplement. Least-square means obtained for rib-eye muscle area did not show significant differences ( P > 0.05). Dressing percentage tended to decrease with low levels of supplementation ( P < 0.05). Economic evaluation indicated advantages for rams on 75% concentrate diet which put on weight at a lesser cost of ▪1.70 ($0.23) per kg than the 100% treated group, and ▪0.32 ($0.043) less than the 25%; returning ▪89.70 ($11.89), ▪67.88 ($9.05), ▪116.32 ($15.50) and ▪105.95 ($14.13) net profit for the 75% concentrate diet treated rams above the 100, 50, 25 and 0% groups, respectively.