Abstract
A study was completed to evaluate effects of increasing dietary levels of dry pods of Meskit ( Prosopis juliflora) on Omani native goat performance. Individual feed intake and body weight were determined during a 50-day experimental period. Rations with four levels (0, 100, 200 and 300 g/kg) of Meskit pods were fed to Omani goats by reducing the proportion of Rhodes grass ( Chloris guyana) hay in the diet. The ripened Meskit pods contained 930 g/kg dry matter, 120 g/kg crude protein, 317 g/kg acid detergent fibre, 402 g/kg neutral detergent fibre, 26 g/kg ether extract and 40 g/kg ash. Feed intake, growth rate and feed conversion were maximized with Meskit in the diet at 200 g/kg. However, these values dropped sharply when Meskit pod proportion in the ration was increased to 300 g/kg. Feeding diets containing levels of Meskit pods up to 300 g/kg did not affect proportions of body components or carcass chemical composition. Results indicate that P. juliflora pods can be used up to proportions of 200 g/kg in Omani goat diets to improve feed intake, feed conversion and body weight gain without compromising carcass yield or quality.
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