International Journal of Agricultural Science Research Vol. 4(3), pp. 057-066, March 2015 ISSN 2327-3321 ©2015 Academe Research Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Supplementing rice bran, Sesbania (Sesbania sesban) leaf and their mixtures on digestibility and performance of Kaffa sheep fed native grass hay

Alemayehu Worku¹*, Getachew Animut² and Mengist Urgie²

¹Arba Minch University, Arba Minch, Ethiopia.

²Haramaya University, Ethiopia.

*Corresponding author. E-mail: alexovichsh@yahoo.com.

Accepted 23 February, 2015

Abstract

This study was carried out with the objective of determining dry matter (DM) intake, digestibility, body weight (BW) change and carcass parameters in Kaffa sheep breed fed native grass hay and supplemented with Sesbania sesban leaf (SS), rice bran (RB) and their mixtures in different proportions. Twenty-five intact male sheep with initial body weight of 17.08 ± 0.68 kg (mean±SD) were used in both the 90 days of feeding and 7 days of digestibility trials. The experimental animals were arranged into five blocks of five animals based on the initial body weight. The five treatments were assigned to each animal in a block. The dietary treatments used in the experiment were grass hay fed ad libitum alone (T1), or with 300 g RB (T2), 200 g RB+100 g SS (T3), 100 g RB+200 g SS (T4), and 300 g SS (T5). The crude protein (CP) content of hay, RB and SS were 6.1, 8.3 and 27.5%, respectively. Hay DM intake was highest for T1 (526 g/day) than the supplemented groups that ranged from 437-447 g/day. Total DM intake was 526, 699, 708, 707 and 712 and was in the order of T1<T2<T3=T4=T5. Digestibility of CP was lower for T1 (58%), but similar among the supplemented group (range of 75-86%); DM digestibility was greater (p<0.05) for T4 than T2 and T3, and values were similar (p>0.05) for T4 and T5, however digestibility of NDF was greater (p<0.05) for T2 than for other treatments. Daily BW gain (ADG) was -5, 52, 54, 67 and 86 g/day and was in the order of T1<T2=T3<T4<T5. Hot carcass weight was in the order of T1<T2<T3=T4<T5 (5.6, 8.2, 10.6, 11.2 and 12.4 kg, respectively). Dressing percentage both on slaughter weight and empty body weight basis were in the order of T3=T4=T5>T2>T1. Net return and marginal rate of return increased with increasing supplemental level of SS. Therefore, T5 was best in terms of both biological and economic performance of animals from the feeding regime employed in this study, suggesting the better feeding value of SS than RB. However, RB can be a potential supplement to low quality forages to prevent BW loss, and for better results RB need to be supplemented with protein rich feeds.

Key words: Crude protein, dressing percentage, hot carcass weight, Kaffa sheep, rice bran, Sesbania sesban.