School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences - Theses
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ItemThe ability of sheep and goats to utilize crop by-products( 1977)Two digestibility trials and one feeding experiment were implemented. In the first digestibility trial sheep were fed rations of hay to which was added (w/w} 10%, 20% and 30% of rice bran, soybean meal and cassava respectively. The results showed that changes in digestibility were not directly proportional to the amount of the ingredient added, thus the individual analysis or digestibility of a single food does not necessarily indicate its feeding value in mixed diet. In the second trial the digestive efficiency of sheep and goats was compared when fed low, medium and high quality diets as represented by oat straw, meadow hay and sheep fattening pellets. For all practical purposes the sheep and goats were similar in their ability to digest all diets but there was some evidence to show that the goats made better use of crude protein in the oat straw and crude fibre in the pelleted diet. In the feeding experiment the same by-products that were used in the first digestibility trial were variously combined to investigate the best mixture for fattening sheep. The best liveweight gains were obtained from diets D2 and D3. D2 contained 33% hay, 30% rice bran, 25% cassava and 12% soybean meal.' D3 comprised 40% hay, 15% rice bran, 30% cassava and 15% soybean meal.
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ItemPotato feed for lactating goats( 1992)This study investigated the effects of different levels of potato wastes (a readily fermentable high starch feed stuff) on feed intake and digestibility, concentration of the end products of fermentation, milk yield and composition, live-weight changes in lactating goats offered varying quality of grass or chaff as a basal diet. Sixteen mature goats of mixed breeds weighing between 38kg and 62kg liveweight (LW) and each suckling two kids, were blocked by weight and allocated randomly to 4 x 4 Latin square design. For four months sixteen goats were housed in individual pens and fed different levels of potato wastes 0% of L.W, 0.8% of L.W, 1.6% of L.W, 2.4% of L.W. The squares differed in source of roughage fed ("constant quality" basal diet: lucerne and oaten chaff 50:50) versus changing young pasture to mature grass; then lucerne and oaten chaff (40:60 and 10:90) and in the provision of virginiamycin, an antibiotic feed additive said to alleviate rumen hyper-acidity. For indirect determination of feed intake and digestibility, each doe was given a slow 'release chromic oxide capsule (Captec Pty. Ltd, Australia) with a nominal mean release rate of 213mg per day. Large variations in chromium recovery (0 to 322ppm in some cases) in faecal samples led to unrealistic estimates (12 - 55.2kg/day) of faecal output, hence unacceptable intake and digestibility estimates. "Captec chrome" appeared to be of no value for the determination of intake and digestibility in lactating goats under these conditions.
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ItemSupplementation during late pregnancy and early lactation in dairy goats( 1990)An experiment was conducted at Mt. Derrimut Field Station from February 1988 to October 1988, to study the effect of feed supplementation at different times during late pregnancy and early lactation on milk production and litterweight of dairy goats. The experiment compared milk production and composition, litterweight and nutrient intakes of two groups of goats. Group A were supplemented with urea molasses mainly during late pregnancy (6 weeks before parturition continued for 3 weeks in early lactation). Group B were supplemented with urea molasses, mainly in early lactation (2 weeks before parturition continued for 7 weeks in early lactation). The feed supplement comprised 3.5% (w/w) urea in molasses given at a rate of 20% (w/w) of intake of basal diet dry matter. Basal diet comprised of a 50:50 mixture of chopped lucerne hay and oaten chaff. The basal diet and feed supplement were offered at a level of 25% above the }intake and given three times a day. A Mineral vitamin supplement at rate of 2% of feed offered was included. The results showed that there were no significant differences (P > 0.05) in litterweight , milk production or nutrient intakes throughout the experiment. Litterweights were 6.7�8.1 kg (group A) and 8.2�1.4 kg (group B). Litter size was not significantly differed (P > 0.05) between group A and group B (1.8�0.8) vs (2.3�0.5), therefore, birthweight was also not significantly differed i.e. 3.6�0.7 kg vs 3.5�0.4 kg for group A and group B, respectively. Milk production was 2.5 kg/d for both groups. Intakes of dry matter were 1731�395 g/d (group A) and 1831�525 g/d (group B). Between physiological stages, however, there was a significant difference (P < 0.01) in intake of nutrients. In early lactation intake of nutrients was higher than during late pregnancy. It was concluded that different timings of provision of supplementation during late pregnancy and early lactation did not make any difference in milk production, since greater number of foetuses hampered intake of nutrients during late pregnancy resulted in poorer body condition at birth. A positive energy balance in early lactation was utilized to recover body losses during pregnancy, but not for milk production.
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ItemAnti-nutritional factors in legume seeds( 1990)The aim of this study was to assess the presence of lectins and trypsin inhibitors in the seeds of selected species of legume namely: lab lab purpureus L. (lablab) Vigna unguiculata [L.] Walp. (cowpea) and Phaseolus vulgaris (navybean) and to examine the degradation of these anti-nutritional factors in the rumen of sheep. This study also attempted to investigate whether laboratory measures of haemagglutinating activity or trypsin inhibitor activity of the legume seeds could be related to in vivo measurements i.e. animal growth and d-xylose absorption. Seeds of the selected legume species were tested with erythrocytes from three animal species (sheep, goat and cattle) to determine their haemagglutinating activity . Enterocytes were also used in the in vitro measurements of lectin content of the legume seeds. The results indicated that the legume seeds contain various levels of haemagglutinating activity and trypsin inhibitor activity, with navybean exhibiting the highest amount, followed by Lablab batch A, Lablab batch B, cowpea and lupin, the lowest. No significant difference was observed in the haemagglutination reactions when red blood cells from three animal species (sheep, goat and cattle) were used in the test. There was a high correlation (r=0.994) obtained between the haemagglutination activity of erythrocytes and enterocytes. A feeding trial was conducted over a 4-week experimental period . Twenty-five Merino wethers were housed indoors in metabolism crates and were divided into five treatment groups. All sheep were offered daily a mixture of equal parts of oaten chaff and barley straw ad libitum and of the five supplements at 1% of LW. The supplements were lupins, lablab batch A, lablab batch B, cowpea and navybean. The amounts of legume seed supplements given were on an air dry basis. (The five diets offered were; T1= 1% LW Lupin + roughage ; T2= 1% LW Lablab batch A + roughage ; T3= 1% LW Lablab t batch B + roughage ; T4= 1% LW cowpea + roughage ; and T5= 1% LW navybean + roughage. The roughage, which consisted of a mixture of equal parts of oaten chaff and barley straw, was offered ad libitum. The amounts of legume seed supplements given were on an air dry basis.) Samples of legume seeds placed in nylon bags were incubated in the rumen of the sheep at different periods (3, 6, 12, 24 ,48 hour) and examined for haemagglutination and trypsin inhibitor activity. A diminishing trend in activity was observed for all the legume seeds as the incubation time progressed. Minimal activity was still detected at 12 hour post incubation and virtually no activity was measured at 24 and 48 hour periods. The reduction in activity could probably be due to washing of the seeds in the rumen, hence, no apparent symptoms of toxicity were demonstrated by the sheep in contrast to a previously reported study of Ismartoyo (1989) Results of d-xylose test , feed intake and growth of sheep showed no significant difference among the treatment diets including other related experiments which involved supplementation of similar legume seeds. There was no clear relationship observed between the in vitro and in vivo measurements obtained in this experiment. Therefore, the anti-nutritional role of legume seeds on the sheep appeared to be of lesser significance compared to the monogastrics. This has been substantiated by the diminishing levels of toxic activity as determined in this experiment and absence of toxic symptoms in the sheep fed with legume of seeds at 1% of LW.