Abstract
The response of West African Dwarf bucks following weaning at four to five months of age to cassava peel silage supplemented with varying levels of leucaena (Leucaena leucocephala) or gliricidia (Gliricidia sepium) forage was evaluated. The silage was fed ad libitum for 14 weeks either alone (A); or supplemented with leucaena at 15 g kgW-0.75 d-1 (B) or 30 g kgW-0.75 d-1 (C); or supplemented with gliricidia at 15 g kgW-0.75 d-1 (D) or 30 g kgW-0.75 d-1 (E). Both leucaena and gliricidia increased total dry matter (DM) intake (P < 0.01) but silage intake decreased as the amounts of supplements were increased. All the leucaena and gliricidia offered were consumed. Total DM intakes were 45.0, 58.6, 66.5, 57.6, and 65.9 g kg W-0.75 d-1 or 2.51, 3.27, 3.64, 3.21, and 3.68% of body weight for treatments A to E, respectively, and the corresponding intakes of digestible DM were 32.5, 41.1, 45.6, 39.7, and 43.8 g kg W-0.75 d-1. Goats fed leucaena or gliricidia grew significantly (P < 0.01) faster than the unsupplemented group. The growth rate of animals on leucaena was the highest. Mean weight gains per treatment were 25.5, 50.7, 56.8, 48.5, and 52.0 g d-1 for treatments A, B, C, D, and E, respectively. Leucaena or gliricidia supplementation resulted in a large reduction in the amount of feed required per kilogram of gain. Feed:gain ratios were 10.9, 7.4, 7.3, 7.8, and 8.0 for treatments A to E, respectively.
