Assessment of Goat Feed Resources and Nutritional Quality of Major Available Feed Stuffs in Dollo Zone, Somali Region, Ethiopia

The aim of this study was to assess goat feed resources and evaluate nutritive value of major available feed resources in Warder, Danod, and Daratole districts of Dollo zone, Somali Regional State, Ethiopia. A total of 156 households (52 from each district) who own goats were randomly selected for the study and interviewed using a pre-tested, semi-structured questionnaire. The study revealed that major feed sources for goats during wet season were natural pasture and fodder trees with 63.5% & 36.5%, respectively. On the other side, the major sources of feed in the dry season were natural pasture (42.3%) followed by fodder trees (30.8%) and crop residues (26.9%), respectively. Drought (46.2%), weed dominance (38.5%) and overstocking (15.4%) were reported as the major factors affecting grazing land productivity in the study area. The major factors affecting availability of feed resources were climate variability, lack of input, population growth, lack of awareness about feed conservation mechanisms, & lack of extension of extension services. Regarding to chemical composition of the sampled feeds, a significant difference was observed in CP, NDF, ADF and ash between seasons. The DM content of the sampled feeds ranged from 88.6% to 90.9% in wet season, while during the dry season, it ranged from 91.1% to 92.4%. The CP content ranged from 5.3% to 10.7%, while in the dry season, it ranged from 2.4% to 4.4% and a significant drop was observed in the dry season. The NDF contents ranged from 53.3 to 84.9%. The ADF content also ranged from 10.5% to 27.3% in wet season and from 7.6% to 31.9% in dry season. The ash content also ranged from 8.3% to 21.3% in wet season and from 4.5% to 14.3% in dry season. Therefore, the study suggests that it is essential to promote drought-resistant forage cultivation, implement effective feed conservation practices, strengthen extension services, manage grazing pressure sustainably, adapt to climate variability, and conduct further research on the nutritive value of local feed resources.