CARCASS CHARACTERISTICS OF RED SOKOTO GOATS FED DIETS CONTAINING GRADED LEVEL OF YAM (Discorea rotundata) PEEL MEAL AS SUPPLEMENT TO SHEA BUTTER (Vitellaria paradoxa) LEAVES
Keywords:
Carcass,, Red, Sokoto Goats, Yam Peels Meal, Shea Butter, Leaves, SupplementsAbstract
The study evaluated the Carcass, characteristics of Red Sokoto bucks fed diets containing graded levels of yam peel meal as supplement to shea butter leaves. The experiment was carried out at small ruminants unit of the Teachings and Research Farm Federal University of Kashere Gombe State Nigeria for a period of 50 days. Sixteen (16) Red Sokoto bucks aged about 11 – 12 months old were allocated into four (4) treatments of four (4) bucks each in a Complete Randomize Design (CRD). The bucks were acclimatized for 7 days and subsequently fed shea butter leaves at 500g/buck/day and a concentrate supplement diet (containing 0, 5, 10 and 15% yam peels) at 250g per buck/day for a duration of fifty (50) days, water was served ad libitum. At the end of the study, 12 animals were slaughtered at the rate of three animals per treatment. The weight of each animal before and after slaughter was taken. The head, neck, forelimb, hind limb, thorax, back, loin, flank and belly fat were removed. They were weighed and their weights were converted to percentage of slaughter weight, for the determination of whole sale cuts of carcass. The values for head, neck, forelimb, hind limb and back in the treatment groups were significantly (p < 0.05) higher than that of control. The values of thorax, loin, flank and belly fats showed no significant (p > 0.05) difference. The weights of the byproduct which include, horns, hoofs, full gut, empty gut and belly fat were similar for all the treatment. The weight of horns and empty gut were significantly higher (p<0.05) for T3 and T1 respectively. It was concluded that the use of yam oeels meal in supplement diets for red sokoto goats improved the carsass yield, weights of whole sale cuts and some by-products, It was recommended that yam peels meal can be used ia supplement concentrate diets for Red Sokoto goats at 15% level of inclusion
