Intake And Nutrient Utilization By Early Weaned West African Dwarf Kids Fed Soyabean Diet As Replacer For Milk

Abstract

Twenty-one early weaned West African dwarf (WAD) goats weighing 1 - l.5kg at birth were used to assess the utilization of nutrients by kids fed soyabean diet (SD) as replacer for milk. Replacement of milk with SD up to 50 percent had no significant (P > 0.05) effect on dry matter intake of kids. Nutrient digestibility Values however decreased (P<0.05) with replacement of milk with SD up to 50 percent level. The digestibility of
nutrients increased (P < 0.05) with age of the kids. Weight gain of the kids (up to 9 weeks of age) reduced with partial replacement of milk with SD up to 50 percent level. Values recorded for average daily weight gain (g/day) for the kids for diets containing 0, 25, and 50 percent SD were 11.2, 6.7 and 3.0, respectively at 4 weeks of age and 24.3, 19.2 and 7.8, respectively at 6 weeks of age. 25 percent replacement of milk with SD gave adequate performance of pre-weaned kids. The result also showed that the level of replacement of milk with SD could he increased up to 50 percent only after 6 weeks of age. 

Keywords: Pre-weaned goats, soyabean diet, milk replacer