Effects of form of leftover khat (Catha edulis) on feed intake, digestion, and growth performance of Hararghe Highland goats

Khat (Catha edulis) is a lucrative cash crop in many African countries and other areas of the world. Leftover khat can be used as a feedstuff for ruminants, although seasonal production limits the extent of utilization. Practical methods of feed conservation to preserve nutritional value would be be...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Small ruminant research 2012-01, Vol.102 (1), p.1-6
Main Authors: M. Wallie, Y. Mekasha, M. Urge, G. Abebe, Goetsch, A.L.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
average daily gain
body weight
Catha edulis
conservation areas
diet
digestibility
digestion
drying
farmers
feed intake
genotype
Goat
goats
grass hay
growth performance
Khat
nitrogen balance
nutritive value
organic matter
silage
silage making
Supplementation
villages
yearlings
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Summary:Khat (Catha edulis) is a lucrative cash crop in many African countries and other areas of the world. Leftover khat can be used as a feedstuff for ruminants, although seasonal production limits the extent of utilization. Practical methods of feed conservation to preserve nutritional value would be beneficial. Thus, a study was conducted to investigate effects of feeding different forms of leftover khat on intake, digestion, and growth performance of a tropically adapted indigenous goat genotype of eastern Ethiopia. Twenty-four (six per treatment) individually housed Hararghe Highland yearling male goats with an initial body weight of 18±0.4kg were used in an on-station experiment, and 32 similar yearlings with an initial body weight of 19±0.4kg were employed under on-farm conditions. The on-farm experiment occurred at two villages, with four farmer groups (two farmers per group co-managing animals) per village. Four animals in each farmer group were subjected to each of the four different treatments. Experiments were 90 days in length, with inclusion of a subsequent 10-day period on-station to determine digestibility. Khat in fresh, dry, and silage forms was fed at 1.5% body weight (dry matter; DM), whereas control animals did not receive khat. Animals on-station consumed grass hay ad libitum and those on-farm grazed/browsed surrounding areas. Grass hay DM intake on-station was greater (P
ISSN:0921-4488
1879-0941
DOI:10.1016/j.smallrumres.2011.07.014