Abstract
Forty-eight five-month-old entire male Sudan desert goats were divided according to body weight into four equal groups. The groups were assigned at random to four experimental diets: diet A was made up of crushed mesquite pods only; diet B was composed of 85% crushed mesquite pods. 5% cottonseed cake and 10% wheat bran: diet C contained 70% crushed mesquite pods. 10% cottonseed cake and 20% wheat bran; and diet D was made up of 55% crushed mesquite pods. 15% cottonseed cake and 30% wheat bran. Common salt was added at the rate of 1% of each diet. The diets were fed in mash form for 70 days. Subsequently, the goats were slaughtered and their carcasses studied. The goats fed on diets containing 100 or 85% crushed mesquite pods lost weight, and body gains increased as the proportion of mesquite pods in the diet was reduced. The dressing-out and carcass percentages increased; bone percentage decreased with the decrease in the proportion of mesquite pods in the diet. The proportion of muscle tissue was not affected by the treatment.
