Nutrient utilisation and growth response of Balami rams fed hydroponic sorghum fodder varieties with supplement

A study was conducted to evaluate the growth performance, nutrient intake, nutrient digestibility and nitrogen balance in twenty (20) growing Balami rams fed four varieties of hydroponic sorghum fodder (HSF) with a supplemented concentrate diet. The HSF varieties were Red Chakalari (V1), White Chakalari (V2), Kaura (V3) and Jigari (V4). Results revealed significant (p<0.05) differences in all the nutrient intake parameters, with rams fed V4 (Jigari) showing the highest values except for organic matter intake. Weight gain and feed conversion ratio also differed significantly (p<0.05) among treatments, with rams on the Jigari variety achieving the highest weight gain of 142.28g/animal/day and the most efficient feed conversion. Although nutrient digestibility did not differ significantly (p>0.05), crude protein digestibility ranged from 79.37% (V4) to 82.04% (V1). Nitrogen balance showed significant (p<0.05) variations in nitrogen intake, faecal and urinary nitrogen output, and retained nitrogen across the treatments, with all groups having positive retained nitrogen as a percentage of intake. It was concluded that the Jigari variety of hydroponic sorghum fodder yielded the best performance in terms of growth, nutrient intake, and nitrogen utilisation in Balami rams.