Growth Performance of West African Dwarf Goats Fed Guinea Grass and Oil Palm Fronds Mixture, Supplemented with Moringa Oleifera

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine the growth performance of West African Dwarf Goats (WADG) subjected to different diets containing oil palm fronds (OPF) and Guinea grass (Megathyrsus maximus), which were supplemented with different levels of Moringa oleifera inclusion. Thirty (30) growing WAD goats aged 8–10 months with initial weights between 7.63 kg and 8.15 kg were used for the 120 days experiment. The thirty goats were assigned to five dietary treatments (T1–T5) in a completely randomized design, with T1 serving as the control (0% Moringa) and T5 containing 20% Moringa inclusion. During the experiment growth performance, feed intake, feed conversion ratio (FCR), nutrient digestibility and blood indices were measured and statistically analyzed using one way analysis of variance (One way ANOVA). The result revealed the average weight gain was significant (P< 0.05) across the treatment groups. Goats in T3 (10% Moringa) had the highest average daily gain (ADG) and nutrient digestibility, while T4 (15% Moringa) recorded the best FCR. The study showed that moderate Moringa supplementation (10–15%) significantly improved growth performance without adverse effects. However, higher inclusion levels (20%) showed reduced efficiency, likely due to anti-nutritional factors. Hence, feeding this diet supplemented with Moringa (10–15%) to WAD goats should be encouraged among farmers in order to optimize ruminant performance. Conclusively, this feed can help improve growth performance and health of WAD goats thus, providing a sustainable and cost-effective feeding strategy for smallholder farmers.