ABSTRACT

 A study was conducted to evaluate nutrient intake and digestibility of Panicum maximum fed with selected browse combinations to West African dwarf (WAD) bucks. Four intact West African dwarf (WAD) bucks aged 8 to IO months with mean body weight 9.5kg were used to conduct digestibility study in a 4 x 4 Latin Square design experiment. Four forage combinations, diets A, B, C and D were fed to the goats. Diet A, the control contained I 00% Panicum maximum while diets B,C and D contained 60% Panicum maximum each plus 40% of Alchornea cordifolia, Manniophyton fulvum and Gme/ina arborea, respectively. Data were collected on dry matter intake (DMI), nutrient intake and digestibility. Simple linear regression and correlation were used to assess the degree of relationship between some of the digestion components. The result of proximate analysis indicated that diets B,C and D had higher crude protein (17.56, 15.62 and 17.52 respectively) than diet A (8.38) the control. Crude fibre (CF) %DM was markedly low in diets B(18.30), C(19.30) and D(18.58) but higher in A(27.26). There were significant (p<0.05) differences in DMI among treatment means. Nitrogen intake (g/d) was significantly (p<0.05) higher for treatments 2, 3 and 4 where grass was fed in combination with browse plant. The respective values were 15.04, 13.12 and 14.48. Faecal nitrogen showed no significant (p>0.05) difference among treatment means. Urinary nitrogen was significantly higher (p<0.05) in T; (0.39) than in T» (0.30). T,(0.34) and T,(0.43). There was positive nitrogen balance for all treatments. Apparent nitrogen digestibility (AND) % was significantly (p<0.05) higher in diets B(92.37), C(90.51) and D(91.63) than in diet A(79.49). Nitrogen intake (g/d) could not reliably predict faecal nitrogen (g/KgDM) in T;, T; and T; and neither could absorbed nitrogen (g/d/WKg?) predict urinary nitrogen (g/d/WKg) in Ty, Ty. and T4. The regression equation was reliable in predicting nitrogen balance (g/d/7WKg) using b b d · (g/d/WKgo. 7 s) in T2 (56.8), T3 (70.2), and 96.6% in T, but a sor e nitrogen unreliable in T, (35.1 %). Biological value (BV) was however high in T,(97) than in T,(55), T5(45) and T,(81). The result of this study shows that nutrient digestibility . f · as higher in animals fed grass + browse diets (B, C and especially that ot protein w P · m plus 40% Alchornea cordifolia) ranking highest in D) with diet B (60% , maxim overall nutrients intake and digestibility