Growth Performance, Haematobiochemical Profile and Enteric Methane Emission of Goats Supplemented With Terminalia brownii Dried Leaves
Berihun Kibret, Bimrew Asmare, Likawent Yeheyis, Shigdaf MekuriawABSTRACT
Background
Goats are vital for livelihoods and food security in tropical regions such as Ethiopia. However, poor‐quality feed, especially during dry seasons, limits their growth, health and overall productivity.
Objective
To evaluate the effect of supplementing Terminalia brownii tree leaves on growth performance, hematobiochemical profile and methane (CH 4 ) emission of goats.
Methods
Twenty‐five male goats with an average initial weight of 19.1 ± 1.6 kg were randomly assigned to five dietary treatments, each with five replicates. The treatments included a control group fed 100% concentrate mix (CM) (T 1 ), 85% CM + 15% Terminalia brownii (T 2 ), 70% CM + 30% Terminalia brownii (T 3 ), 55% CM + 45% Terminalia brownii (T 4 ) and 40% CM + 60% Terminalia brownii (T 5 ). All goats were provided with natural pasture hay as a basal diet. After 90 days of feeding, a seven‐day digestibility trial was conducted to assess nutrient digestibility. CH 4 emission was measured by laser methane detector tool. The data of nutrient content, nutrient intake, digestibility, body weight gain, feed conversion efficiency (FCE), blood profile and CH 4 emission were recorded. Data were analysed using SAS (version 9.4) software.
Result
The result showed that goats that received the T 5 treatment consumed significantly more DM (779.24 g) and CP (181.06 g) than other treatment groups. The digestibility of NDF and ADF was not statistically different among the treatments. The average daily weight gain of goats reared in T 5 (63.4 g and T 4 (59.0) was higher than T 1 , T 2 and T 3 . Goats fed T 5 recorded the highest count of lymphocytes (LYM) (61%) followed by animals fed T 3 (58.17%) while the least (36.5%) was observed in T 4 treatment. Besides, goats fed T 4 diet had the highest neutrophil count (56.9). Goats fed on T 5 diet had the highest haemoglobin levels as compared to other treatments. The CH 4 value was lower in T 5 (34.84 ppm‐m), where goats were fed with 60% Terminalia brownii leaves, in comparison to the other treatments.
Conclusion
This indicates that Terminalia brownii leaves could potentially act as a viable alternative to concentrate feeds while also reducing methane emissions. This suggests that the T 4 and T 5 treatments effectively promoted both growth and feed intake in the goats. In addition, substituting Terminalia brownii leaves with concentrate feed had no adverse effect on the blood profile of goats. Future studies should incorporate a comprehensive cost‐benefit analysis to determine whether the potential improvements in goat performance and environmental benefits offset the costs of harvesting and processing Terminalia brownii leaves.