This
study was conducted to assess the effect of supplementation with Leucaena leucacephala (LL), and Moringa oleifera (MO) tree leaves on
growth and reproduction performance of indigenous goats in southern Mozambique.
Fifty-six indigenous goats with an average age of 8 months and a body weight of
17.57 ± 3.97 kg were randomly divided into seven treatments groups of 4
castrated males and 4 females each. Treatment 0 served as the control group
(Co), and these animals only grazed on natural pasture without any
supplementation. In addition to the natural pasture, three groups received 50 g
(LL50), 75 g (LL75) and 100 g (LL100) of L. lecocephala dried leaves,
respectively while groups 4 to 6, received 40 g (MO40), 60 g (MO60)
and 80 g (MO80) of M. oleifera dried leaf meal, respectively. Leucaena leucocephala contained 23.7%
crude protein (CP) and 11.05 MJ/kg DM of metabolizable energy (ME), while M. oleifera leaves contained 28.8% CP
and 7.61 MJ/kg DM of ME. The study lasted for 16 months from July of 2015 to
November of 2016. Compared to the
control, treatment supplementation of the tree leaves, irrespective of level,
had a significant effect (p <
0.05) on the overall body weight gain and the final body weight of the bucks
but did not significantly affected the does (p > 0.05). No difference could
be detected between the final body weight and overall average daily gain (p
> 0.05) based on the supplementation source (Leucaena Lecocephala versus Moringa
oleifera dried leaf). Average daily gain (ADG), during the dry season,
ranged from -7.85 to 10.42 g/day for goats fed LL leaves and from -7.92 to 13.33 g/day for goats fed MO and
these values were higher (p <
0.05) compared to values recorded for the control goats (-36.11 to -20.74
g/day). All female reproduction efficiency parameters measured such as birth
rate, twinning rate, birth weight and weaning were significantly (p < 0.05) higher in supplemented
goats compared to the control goats. Body weights at birth and weaning weight
of the offspring of supplemented goats were however not significantly (p >
0.05) affected by supplementation. The highest survival rate (100%) was
observed in goats supplemented with Moringa
oleifera (MO40), while the lowest was recorded in goats
supplemented with Leucaena leucocephala
leaves (LL75). The results of this study suggest that L. leucacephala and Moringa oleifera tree leaves could be used as supplementation to
goats to overcome the adverse effects of seasonal fluctuations in feed quality
on growth and reproductive performance.
Primary Language | English |
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Subjects | Zootechny (Other) |
Journal Section | Research Articles |
Authors | |
Publication Date | April 1, 2019 |
Submission Date | November 30, 2018 |
Acceptance Date | February 19, 2019 |
Published in Issue | Year 2019 Volume: 2 Issue: 2 |