Reproductive and Lactation Characteristics of West African Dwarf Goats Offered Moringa oleifera Herbage Supplement

Iranian Journal of Applied Animal Science

دوره 11، شماره 4، اسفند 2021، صفحه 789-797   

نویسندگان

O.T. Titilayo Ojoawo^{* 1}؛ J.A. Akinlade¹؛ A.A. Akingbade¹؛ O.A. Aderinola¹؛ D.O. Okunlola²

¹Department of Animal Production and Health, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Nigeria

²Department of Animal Nutrition and Biotechnology, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Nigeria

چکیده

Nutrition improvement with multipurpose trees could be a means of increasing milk yield. The present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of Moringa oleifera supplementation on the productive and reproductive performance of goats. The Panicum maximum was replaced by Moringa oleifera at the level of 0, 25, 50, 75, and 100% of group T₁, T₂, T₃, T_4, and T₅, respectively. Data recorded on conception rate, kids’ birth weight; dry matter intake (DM), average daily gain, and milk yield; and kids’ DM intake of West African Dwarf (WAD) goats. The highest value for conception rate (50%), DM intake (3.08%), average daily gain (44.30 g/day), and milk yield (0.5 kg/day) were observed in the does fed T₄ diet, except for kids birth weight (1.70 kg) at T₃. The does fed T₅ diet had the least values. Kids from T₄ diet had significantly (P=0.05) the highest DM intake (152.33 g/day). M. oleifera herbage supplementation at 25 % with 75 % P. maximum based diet improved reproductive and lactation characteristics of WAD goats.

کلیدواژه‌ها

lactation characteristics؛ Moringa oleifera herbage supplement؛ reproduction؛ West African Dwarf goats

اصل مقاله

INTRODUCTION

Humans have identified milk (product from female mammary gland) as a major source of protein and have recommended it for all ages. Humans have relied heavily on livestock, especially ruminants for intake. Among these ruminants, milk from cattle has been most used and researched into. Small ruminants (sheep and goat) also produce milk and are of growing interest recently. Among goats, the Saanen breed has been the “New Jersey” with about 3 liters of milk yield daily (Gőkdai et al. 2020). West African Dwarf goat is the predominant breed in Southern Nigeria. It produces a low quantity of milk when compared with other goat breeds (Devendra and Burns, 1983; Adebambo et al. 1994; Ojoawo and Akinsoyinu, 2014). Valerie (1996) reported that West African Dwarf (WAD) goats produce low milk when compared with other nonseasonal breeds with milk yield of 0.3 kg/day and had contributed to the low growth rate in the offsprings. However, it had been observed that remarkable improvement can be achieved under improved nutrition and management conditions (Milerski and Mares, 2001). Nutrition plays a major role in milk quantity and quality. One of the identified ways of assessing milk yield has been to assess the nutrition of the dairy ruminants (Milerski and Mares, 2001). This has usually been done with concentrate diets. However, ruminants depend on forage for survival (Banerjee, 2013). The response of ruminants in terms of performance and reproductive characteristics is being assessed using multipurpose trees. One of such trees of global interest is Moringa oleifera. Moringa oleifera leaf meal has been reported to increase feed intake, nutrient digestibility, reduced worm load, replaced conventional mixed concentrate and did not pose a health threat when included in diets of growing goats and sheep (Sultana et al. 2015; Yusuf et al. 2016; Zaher et al. 2020). Therefore, there is a need to assess the response of these goats to Moringa oleifera herbage supplementation before and after kidding; during lactation, and its corresponding effects on the progeny.

 

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Ethical statement and experimental site

The Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomosho’s guidelines and ethics for use of animals for the experiment were observed and approval was granted. The experiment was conducted at the Sheep and Goat Unit of the institution’s Teaching and Research Farm. Ogbomoso is located at 8˚ 7’ North of the equator and 4˚ 15’ East of Greenwich meridian, in the derived savannah zone, Southern Nigeria. The temperature ranges between 28 ˚C and 34 ˚C and humidity ranges of 50 to 80 % (NASA, 2016).

 

Experimental design and duration

The study involved four experimental groups and one control group, which made a total of five treatments. A completely randomized design was used for the experiment, in which nine West African Dwarf goats (sexually matured 8 does and 1 buck) were balanced for weights and then randomly assigned to the five treatments and tagged. The experiment lasted for ten months (1 month for pre-experimental period, 5-6 months for gestation period, and three months for lactation/kid weaning).

 

Experimental animals and management

Sexually matured 40 does and 5 bucks of about 1-1.5 years of age and weight range of 19.5-21 kg were acquired from Ogbomoso community and kept in individual experimental pens. The pens measured 1.5 m² (1.7 m×0.9 m) and were disinfected with Morigard solution before being stocked with the goats. On-farm quarantine was done for the goats; sick ones were isolated and treated. The initial weights of the goats were measured using a digital hanging scale. Two weeks of adaptation/adjustment to the new environment was observed. During the two weeks adjustment period, all the goats were dewormed with Albendazole and Ivermectin (0.5 mL/10 kg body weight) against internal and external parasites. Antibiotics (oxytetracycline L.A. (20%) was administered at 5 mL/10 kg body weight, multivitamins (5 mL/10 kg body weight), iron D (5 mL/10 kg body weight) and Vitamin B. Co (1 mL)) were also administered to ensure that the goats were of good health status. During this period, goats were fed with the likes of cassava peels, Panicum maximum leaves, Gliricidia sepium herbage, and corn grits. The animals were however gradually exposed to Moringa oleifera leaves. Water and salt licks were provided ad libitum. The experimental diets that were offered to the animals in varying proportions were:

T₁: concentrate mixture 200 g + Panicum maximum 100% + Moringa oleifera 0% (control)

T₂: concentrate mixture 200 g + Panicum maximum 75% + Moringa oleifera 25%

T₃: concentrate mixture 200 g + Panicum maximum 50% + Moringa oleifera 50%

T₄: concentrate mixture 200 g + Panicum maximum 25% + Moringa oleifera 75%

T₅: concentrate mixture 200 g + Panicum maximum 0% + Moringa oleifera 100%

The does were synchronized with estradiol injection to terminate the activity of the corpus luteum and to induce oestrus. The does were hand mated within the experimental pen at the ratio of eight does to one buck in each of the five treatments. Immediately conception was established through blood test, the goats were fed concentrate diet as sustenance ration (cassava flour -73.1%, wheat bran -20%, urea -5%, salt -0.5%, oyster shell -0.2% and mineral/vitamin premix -0.2%). 200 g of the concentrate diet was offered to each of the animals in the morning and they were allowed to do exercise till 12 noon. The goats were thereafter exposed to the experimental diets. They were then managed until kidding and the weights of the pregnant does were measured using a digital scale fortnightly.

 

Experimental outcomes

(i) After the does had kidded, the respective birth weights of the kids and litter sizes were recorded. The kids were allowed to suck milk from the dam for two weeks after which they were gradually exposed to the experimental diet of their respective dams. The sexing of the kids was done in the fourth week. The kids were kept separately in a pen of 0.18 m² (0.6 m×0.3 m) size. (ii) Conception rate was evaluated by dividing the number of pregnant does by the number of times for mating and then multiplied by 100. Assigns of parturition were observed, a birthing kit that contained iodine solution, a soft towel, a pair of scissors was made available. The kidding was normal in all the goats. The cords of the kids after being cut with scissors were dipped in iodine solution. The kidding pen was then cleaned and disinfected. Litter size was recorded. The birth weights of the kids, placenta weights, and weight of the dams were measured with a digital scale and also recorded. During the lactation, the feed intake (on a dry matter basis) of the does was estimated by measuring the feed offered in the morning and the refusals that were collected the following morning. The weight change was also estimated. The efficiency of feed utilization for milk production of the lactating does was also evaluated by dividing daily milk yield with daily dry matter intake. The lactation characteristics of the does as the feed was supplemented with Moringa oleifera herbage were evaluated. Milk yield from each of the animals that were assigned to each experimental diet was estimated by the weigh-suckle-weigh method. The kids were separated from the dam by 6 pm. In the morning, the weights of the kids were measured with digital scale before and after suckling the dam for 3 hours, and the measurements were recorded. The hand milking method was used to extract the remaining milk from the udder and then weighed. The difference in the weights of the kids before and after sucking the dams was added to the weight of the milk that was hand-milked, and it was estimated as the daily milk yield. These steps were done by 9.00 a.m. and 3 p.m. All measurements were recorded. The kids were separated from the dams between 12 p.m. and 3 p.m. and the milk that was extracted manually from the dams was given to the kids in a feeding bottle. Milk yield determination was done twice a week and the average was recorded as the weekly milk production. The average milk production for 8 weeks was recorded as the milk yield of the WAD goats. Average daily milk yield was evaluated from the total milk yield for 56 days.

 

Flow rate, fat corrected milk, and net energy efficiency

The average of the daily milking period (in seconds) used by the kids to suck for both morning and evening sessions erewere recorded. Flow rate (g/s) for each of the dams in each treatment was determined by dividing the average daily milk yield by the average daily milking period. Fat corrected milk (FCM) at 4% was evaluated using this formula [0.4 × milk yield (kg)] + [15 × fat yield] (Akpa et al. 2004). The FCM/kg W was calculated by dividing FCM with the average body weight of the dams in each treatment. The FCM/Kg MW was estimated as FCM/day divided by W^0.75. Net energy efficiency (NEE, %) was calculated as 750 × FCM/day × 100 (750×FCM/day) + 70 W^0.75 where 750= kilocalories of energy/kg of FCM and 70= basal metabolic rate.

 

Milk intake of the kids

The weights of the kids were measured using a digital measuring scale before and after sucking the dam in the morning and evening. The average of the differences in weight was estimated as the daily milk intake.

 

Kid Feed intake

This is the amount of feed an animal consumes. It was estimated on a dry matter basis. The average dry matter content of the feed was estimated as 100 g of feed sample was weighed after being oven-dried. An adjustment period of seven days was observed. Forages were offered to the animals at a stipulated time (9.00 h and 16.00 h) for seven days to determine the feed intake. The feeds (3%, in respect to the bodyweight of the animal/day) on DM basis were weighed in the morning by 9.00 h and the residues/leftovers were collected the next morning by 9.00 h and weighed. The feed intake was thus evaluated by subtracting the average dry matter refused daily from the average dry matter offered daily. The total feed intake was estimated by adding the milk intake and the forage intake on DM basis.

 

Weight change

The weights of the goats were measured using a digital measuring scale immediately after birth and subsequently once every week for eight weeks after parturition. The weekly weights were recorded. Weight change was estimated as the difference between the initial weight and final weight at the eighth week. The final weight at the end of the experiments was estimated as the pre-weaning weight. The average daily gain and Feed Conversion Ratio of the kids were estimated.

 

Laboratory procedures and analysis

The feeds at the various inclusion levels were analyzed for crude protein (CP), crude erfiber (CF), ether extract (EE), moisture, and Ash using the outline of AOAC (2002). Total nitrogen (N) was determined by micro-Kjeldahl technique using the Markham’s distillation apparatus while the crude protein content was calculated by multiplying % N with a factor of 6.25. Nitrogen free extract (NFE) was obtained by subtracting the sum of the percentage of protein, ash, ether extract, and crude erfiber from dry matter.

 

Statistical analysis

Data generated were subjected to one-way analysis of variance procedure of SAS (2001) and significant means were separated using Duncan’s new multiple range test of the same package.

 

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

It was observed in Table 1 that there were significant differences in all the nutrient contents across all the experimental diets except the EE content. The CP values of these diets (8.75-25.85%) were higher than the 8% recommended value for the optimum microbial activity of the rumen (Norton, 1994). The CP values of T₂ (13.70%) and T₄ (10.85%) fell within the 11-14% recommended value by NRC (2007) for body maintenance and growth of the growing WAD goats.

 

Table 1 Chemical composition of the experimental diets (% DM basis)

T₁: concentrate mixture 200 g + Panicum maximum 100% + Moringa oleifera 0% (control); T₂: concentrate mixture 200 g + Panicum maximum 75% + Moringa oleifera 25%; T₃: concentrate mixture 200 g + Panicum maximum 50% + Moringa oleifera 50%; T₄: concentrate mixture 200 g + Panicum maximum 25% + Moringa oleifera 75% and T₅: concentrate mixture 200 g + Panicum maximum 0% + Moringa oleifera 100%

The means within the same row with at least one common letter, do not have significant difference (P>0.05).

SEM: standard error of the means.

 

CP values for T₃ (17.7%) and T₅ (25.85%) exceeded the range while that of T₁ (8.75%) which was the least did not meet up with the required value. It was also observed that as the M. oleifera inclusion in the diet decreased, there was a significant decrease in CP values. The DM content of T₅ and T₁ diets were significantly higher (P<0.05) than T₂, T_3, and T₄. The NDF and ADF values of the five experimental diets were low to moderate except for T₁ (Panicum maximum only) diet which was on the high side. The fiber fraction analysis of the experimental diets revealed that T₂ diet had the highest predictor of forage intake (lowest NDF) with 33.71 % and the highest predictor of forage digestibility (lowest ADF of 12.34%). The reproductive performance of WAD goats fed varying levels of Moringa oleifera herbage supplement is presented in Table 2. The number of services per pregnancy did not differ significantly among the treatment diets. It was observed that goats fed 25% Moringa oleifera and 75% Panicum maximum (T₄) diet had the highest number of services and lowest conception rate while those in 75% Moringa oleifera and 25% Panicum maximum (T₂) diet had the least number of services per pregnancy and the highest conception rate. This implied that conception rate was influenced by the diet. Feeding WAD goats at 75% Moringa oleifera and 25% Panicum maximum inclusion rate of herbage would increase the conception rate. This finding was observed to contrast with the report of Adeboyejo and Odeyinka (2011) who reported that feeding more than 50% of Moringa oleifera improved the conception rate among WAD goats fed Gliricidia sepium basal diet. The type of forage being combined with M. oleifera herbage could have been responsible. Litter size did not differ significantly (P>0.05) among the goats fed the treatment diets. Thus the lower the conception rate, the higher the litter size. However, it was observed that the goats in T₅ and T₄ diet groups had twinning while others had just one. The diet, weight of the pregnant goats, species, and parity could have been responsible for the variation as it was reported by Adebambo et al. (1994) that twinning is common in WAD goats and most especially in their second or third parity. Birth weights of the kids, placenta weight and postpartum weight of does as presented in Table 2 are significantly different (P<0.05) among the treatment diets. All the goats that were exposed to M. oleifera herbage from 25% to 100% had high values which ranged from 1.46 kg-1.70 kg. This implied that M. oleifera herbage increased birth weight of kids, placenta weight and postpartum weight of does. The kids from goats fed guinea grass diet alone had a low birth weight of 1.09 kg. The highest kid birth weight and placenta weight were observed in goats fed T₂ diet. The twinning that occurred in T₅ and T₄ diets resulted in lower kid birth weights and correspondingly the lower placenta weight. The size of the dams could have influenced birth weight of the kids and the placenta weight. This result was found to be similar to the report of Mellado et al. (2005) who reported that the higher postpartum weight of goats indicated higher birth weight of the kids. Sultana et al. (2012) also reported similar findings in Black Bengal goats. There was no significant difference among the treatment diets for the postpartum weight of the does. The lactation characteristics of the WAD goats fed Moringa oleifera herbage in terms of dry matter intake (DMI, g/day), weight change, average daily gain (ADG), feed conversion ratio (FCR), flow rate (g/s), total milk yield (kg), daily milk yield (kg/day), fat corrected milk (FCM) at 4% (kg), FCM/day (kg), and efficiency of feed utilization for milk production are shown in Table 2. All the parameters measured varied significantly among the treatment diets except the initial weight of the lactating does. The M. oleifera herbage intake on a dry matter basis was highest among animals in the T₅ diet group. The intake increased as M. oleifera inclusion increased.

 

Table 2 Lactation characteristics of West African Dwarf goats fed Moringa oleifera herbage

T₁: concentrate mixture 200 g + Panicum maximum 100% + Moringa oleifera 0% (control); T₂: concentrate mixture 200 g + Panicum maximum 75% + Moringa oleifera 25%; T₃: concentrate mixture 200 g + Panicum maximum 50% + Moringa oleifera 50%; T₄: concentrate mixture 200 g + Panicum maximum 25% + Moringa oleifera 75% and T₅: concentrate mixture 200 g + Panicum maximum 0% + Moringa oleifera 100%

The means within the same row with at least one common letter, do not have significant difference (P>0.05).

SEM: standard error of the means.

 

Also, guinea grass intake on DM basis was highest among animals in T₁ diet. This implied that the DM intake of the herbages was affected by the quantities offered to the lactating does. The total DMI (g/animal/day) ranged from 522.2-582.55 g/animal/day in this study. This is lower when compared with the range of 0.66-0.80 kg/day reported by Bawala et al. (2006). The authors offered Panicum maximum, isonitrogenous (15% CP), and isocaloric formulated concentrate diet to the WAD goats. However, it was lower when cows were fed M. oleifera herbage with Brachiara brizantha hay. The variation could be attributed to the type of livestock used and the study area (Reyes-Sanchez et al. 2005). The composition of the diet, type of livestock, and study area was responsible for the variations with the finding in this study. The diets that were supplemented with Moringa oleifera herbage (T₂, T₃, T₄ and T₅) had higher DM intake than those offered Panicum maximum only (T₁). Meanwhile, the highest DM intake was observed among goats in the T₂ diet with 582.55 g/animal/day. It was followed by T₄, T₅, T₁, and T₃ with 541.00, 530, 522.20, and 520.00 g/animal/day respectively. A similar trend was observed in total DMI/ kg w^0.75 and DMI (% of body weight) with the goats in the T₂ diet group having the highest value. The nutritional contents in terms of CP and Acid detergent fiber (ADF) contents of the diet (Table 2) could have been responsible for this finding. The DMI expressed as a percentage of body weight ranged from 2.76%-3.08% among the goats offered the different diets. This falls within the range of 1.9%-3.0% recommended by NRC (2007) for goats. The lactating goats had enough DM intakes. The M. oleifera herbage supplement was palatable to the goats and it had a positive effect on the rate of growth of the lactating WAD goats as it was seen among goats in T₂ diet which had a high value of ADG and least FCR. T₂ diet could be rated best in terms of DMI, weight change, and FCR of the lactating WAD goats. The weights of the goats increased during the experiment which lasted for 56 days. The highest weight change and ADG were observed among the goats offered T₂ diet. Also, the does were the most efficient user of the feed for maintenance (FCR) with 13.15 and efficiency for milk production (1.16). The goats in the T₂ diet had the highest total milk yield and daily milk yield (29.25 kg and 500 g/day), followed by T₅ (24.14 kg and 431 g/day), T₃ (23.51 kg and 420 g/day), and T₄ (18.45 kg and 330 g/day), while the goats in T₁ diet had the least value of 14.75 Kg and 250 g/day. The highest value of the milk yield of 500 g/day in this study is higher than the 206-374 g/day) of Bengal does fed concentrate supplement (Sultana et al. 2012), the 102-122 g/day reported by Ahamefule et al. (2007) when WAD goats were fed concentrate diet in addition to guinea grass basal diet and in which some were kept intensively in the university farm and some extensively in the village; and the mean value of 25 g/day reported by Ahamefule and Ibeawuchi (2005) when pigeon pea-cassava based diets were fed to lactating WAD does. This implied that forage-based diet for lactating does with M. oleifera herbage supplement improved milk yield of WAD does. Similarly, the daily milk yield was higher for cows offered M. oleifera supplement than for those of B. brizantha hay only (Reyes-Sanchez et al. 2005). The milk yield of Red Sokoto goats was however higher than the values in this study. The non-concurrent values in these reports could be due to the influence of breed, management systems, litter size, and level of parity. It is thereby inferred that nutrition influences milk yield and that Moringa oleifera herbage supplement improved milk production of WAD does. Similar trend was observed in flow rate, the total fat corrected milk (FCM, at 4%), and the daily fat corrected milk with the highest values among goats in T₂ diet group. The milk energy values (3.01-3.12 MJ/kg) reported in this study were higher than the range of values of 1.41-1.84 MJ/kg reported by Ahamefule and Ibeawuchi (2005) and Ahamefule et al. (2007). The milk energy value from this study is similar to the energy in the milk of lactating Anglo-Nubian goats (Morsy et al. 2015) that were fed Moringa oleifera leaf as a protein source where milk energy and milk yield linearly increased (P< 0.001). The optimum performance in terms of DMI, live weight and lactation characteristics observed in goats fed T₂ diet is traceable to the quality of the feed (low ADF and NDF, and high CP values (Table 1). The low NDF in the diet accounted for the forage effectiveness in milk production. The reports of Fulgueira et al. (2007) and Oba and Allen (2005) corroborated this finding. The weekly milk yield of the goats for the 8 weeks of lactation is shown in Figure 1. Milk yield increased steadily from the first week of lactation to the sixth week, then dropped for T1, T2, T3, and T5 diets, whereas T1 declined from the third week (Figure 1). The peak for the weekly milk yield was recorded at the 6^th week of lactation for all the treatments except for the control (T₁) diet. The trend of lactation curve (Figure 1) of WAD in this study is similar to the report of Ahamefule and Ibeawuchi (2005), Okunlola et al. (2015), Marete et al. (2014), and Banda et al. (1992) for WAD, Red Sokoto, Kenyan Alpine, and Malawi goats. Thus, higher inclusion of Moringa oleifera in diets of lactating goats resulted in decreased DMI, weight change, ADG, milk yield, flow rate and FCM when compared with animals fed T₂ diet. Lactating goats performed optimally in those parameters when offered 25% Moringa oleifera herbage and 75% guinea grass mixture.

 

Figure 1 Lactation curve for WAD goats were fed M. oleifera and Panicum maximum herbage

 

Table 3 showed the performance of the kids fed the corresponding experimental diets of their dams. All the parameters were significantly different (P<0.05) among the goats in the experimental diet groups except total forage intake, FCR and pre-weaning weight. The highest M. oleifera herbage intake was observed in the T₅ diet group with 41.20 g/animal/day and the highest Panicum maximum intake was observed in T₁ diet (40.48 g/animal/day). The M. oleifera herbage intake increased among the treatment diet groups as M. oleifera inclusion increased. A contrary trend was observed in the Panicum maximum intake. Thus, intake on DM basis is influenced by the amount of forage made available to the goats. The total forage intake ranged from 40.48-53.25 g/animal/day. The highest total forage intake (53.25 g/animal/day) was observed among kids fed T₂ diet while the least (40.48 g/animal/day) was observed among kids fed T₁ diet. The milk intake by the kids ranged from 82.71-99.14 g/animal/day. The total DMI ranged from 123.19-152.39 g/animal/day with kids from T₂ diet group having the highest value. This implied that supplementing kids’ diet with M. oleifera herbage below 50% improved daily milk intake, forage intake and the total DM intake. The high nutritive value could have informed the high DMI observed in the kids. After the experiment, there were significant changes in the total live weight, weight gain and ADG. The DMI values when expressed as % of body weight and the metabolic weight fell within the recommended range of 2-3% (NRC, 2007).

 

Table 3 Effects of Moringa oleifera herbage supplementation on performance characteristics of the progeny of West African Dwarf goats

T₁: concentrate mixture 200 g + Panicum maximum 100% + Moringa oleifera 0% (control); T₂: concentrate mixture 200 g + Panicum maximum 75% + Moringa oleifera 25%; T₃: concentrate mixture 200 g + Panicum maximum 50% + Moringa oleifera 50%; T₄: concentrate mixture 200 g + Panicum maximum 25% + Moringa oleifera 75% and T₅: concentrate mixture 200 g + Panicum maximum 0% + Moringa oleifera 100%

The means within the same row with at least one common letter, do not have significant difference (P>0.05).

SEM: standard error of the means.

 

The weight change and ADG of animals offered T₂ diet had the highest values of 4.29 kg and 76.58 g/day. These results were higher than the reports of Bunmi et al. (2004) in which ADG of 53.88 g for Red Sokoto goat kids that were exposed to crop residue supplementation; and that of Tona et al. (2015) in which palm kernel cake (PKC) was included in the concentrate diet. The result from this study was however low when compared with the ADG of Boer goats in Namibia (218-240 g/day) and 182- 257 g/day of Boer goats in Germany (Lu, 2002). The type of feed and species of goats used in these studies could have been responsible for these variations. The kids in T₂ diet group were the most efficient use of the feed with 1.99. This was followed by 2.11, 2.12, 2.13, and 2.20 for goats in T₄, T₃, T₅, and T₁ diet group respectively. There was no significant difference among the treatment diets. It was observed that non – supplementation of the goats’ diets with M. oleifera herbage brought about the high feed conversion ratio (FCR) recorded in the T₁ diet. The FCR values reported in this study are lower when compared with the reports of Lu (2002) and Rahman et al. (2014). The type of diet (forage or concentrate), species of the goats, season, location of the study, and the weather of the study area could have informed these variations. The pre-weaning weights at eight weeks ranged from 5.97-6.64 kg and it varied significantly among the treatment diets. The kids in the T₂ diet group had the highest weight of 6.64 kg followed by T₃, T₄, T₅, and T₁ respectively. The pre-weaning weight of these kids when supplemented with M. oleifera herbage compared favorably with the weaning weights of WAD goat kids reported by Ogunbosoye (2013) at the 4^th month. The high live weight gain of these kids within 8 weeks could be attributed to the increased milk yield and good nutrient composition of the milk and M. oleifera herbage. The pre-weaning weights in the study were found to be higher than the weaning weights of Bengal goat kids in which different levels of concentrates were offered to the goats (Sultana et al. 2012). The variation could be traced to the quality of feed, milk composition, and milk intake of the kids. Thus, for a high growth rate, the feed of kids could be supplemented with M. oleifera herbage at 50% or below. The pre-weaning weight reported in this study falls within the range reported by Ebozoje et al. (1995) – (4.1-7.56 kg) for WAD goats for a 90-day growth trial.

 

CONCLUSION

Moringa oleifera herbage supplement increased the weight of dams and the birth weight of kids. The dietary treatments had no effect on gestational duration or litter size. During lactation, M. oleifera herbage increased weight change and improved feed conversion ratio when the does were fed at 25% M. oleifera and 75% guinea grass ratio. Daily and total milk yield, efficiency for feed for milk production, fat corrected milk (FCM), FCM/day and milk energy were also optimum for goats fed 25% M. oleifera and 75% guinea grass ratio. The highest birth weight of kids was observed in dams fed 25% M. oleifera and 75% Guinea grass diet. It is thereby concluded that Moringa oleifera herbage supplement improved the reproductive and lactation efficiency of WAD goat and thus should be recommended to farmers to increase goat production. Subsistent farmers should inccorporate Moringa oleifera herbage as supplement in the West African dwarf goat diet to increase milk production and thus increase human protein intake.

 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I specially thank Professor Samson O. Ojoawo for his encouragement, financial and moral assistance. He also assisted in the editorial aspect of the manuscript.

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