Performance Of Sheep Fed Napier Grass Hay Supplemented With Nymphaea Lotus Leaf Meal For Sustainable Production

The effect of feeding Napier grass hay supplemented with Nymphaea lotus leaf meal (NLLM) on the performance of Yankassa rams was investigated. A total of thirty rams were randomly divided into five treatments with six animals each using a completely randomized design (CRD), with the rams weighing an average of 15.05±1.39 kg. The basal diet consisted of Napier grass hay, while NLLM was supplemented at 0, 10, 20, 30 and 40%. Daily feeding rate for the diets was 3% body weight per animal. The feeding experiment lasted for 120 days following a 28-day period of adaption. Digestibility was investigated using three (3) animals per treatment. Results showed that nutrient composition of NLLM was richer than Napier grass hay, except fibre fractions. The feeding trial indicated that feed consumption and body weight measurement of rams on supplemented diets increased proportionally to the supplementation level of NLLM from 10 - 40% (421.00 – 561.40 g/day) as compared to the sole Napier grass hay diet (350.30 g/day).Yankasa rams fed NLLM supplemented diets (40.30 - 52.10 g/day) gained significantly (p<0.05) more weight than rams fed only Napier grass hay (31.20 g/day). The daily water consumption varied between 3.10 and 3.35 litres and was comparable (p>0.05) for all treatments. Diets comprising 30 and 40 % NLLM yielded feed conversion ratios of 9.08 and 9.43, respectively which were significantly (p<0.05) lower than diets with 0, 10 and 20 % NLLM. Feeding cost per kilogram of weight gain showed no significant impact (p>0.05) with inclusion of NLLM. The study concluded that feed consumption, nutrient digestibility and growth performance of Yankasa rams can all be positively impacted by 40% NLLM in their diets.