Abdulrazak et al., 2005. Livest. Res. Rural Dev., 17 (12)

An experiment was conducted for 63 days to examine the effects of supplementation of Rhodes grass hay (H) with mixtures of leaves and pods of A. tortilis on intake, digestion and growth performance of Small East African goats (SEAG). 24 SEAG with 184 kg BW and 9 months old were assigned to six diets including ad libitum Rhodes grass hay alone (H) or H supplemented with various proportions of pods, leaves and mixture of the two as follows: 19 g DM/kg W0.75 pods (P), 19 g DM/kg W0.75 leaves (L), 9.5:9.5 g DM/kg W0.75 pods + leaves (PL), 14:5 g DM/kg W0.75 pods + leaves (PPL) or 5:14 g DM/kg W0.75 pods + leaves (PLL). The diets were allocated to the goats in a completely randomized design, with 4 goats per treatment. Dry matter intake, digestibility, nitrogen retention and liveweight gains were all increased by supplementation. There was an indication of a better response in intake and liveweight gains when the hay was supplemented with equal proportions (9.5 g DM/kg W0.75) of pods and the leaves. In conclusion, mixtures of A. tortilis pods and leaves give more benefits than when either is offered singly to goats fed a basal diet of grass hay.