Nutrient Digestibility and Haematological Indices of Wad Rams Fed Ensiled Mixture of Cabbage Waste, Wheat Offal, Dried Cassava Waste and Brewers' Spent Grain

This experiment sought to assess the digestibility of various nutrients and the haematological responses of West African dwarf (WAD) rams fed silages containing varying levels of cabbage waste (CBW), wheat offal (WO), dried cassava waste (DCSW) and brewers’ spent grain (BSG). Silage 1 (CBW0) = 0 % CBW + 20 % WO + 30 % DCSW + 50 % BSG; Silage 2 (CBW5) = 5 % CBW + 15 % WO + 30 % DCSW + 50 % BSG and Silage 3 (CBW10) = 10 % CBW + 10 % WO + 30 % DCSW + 50 % BSG. Nine WAD rams averaging 18.5±2.3 kg, were divided into three treatment groups in a completely randomized design and fed the silages for 56 days. At the 9th week, the rams were placed on metabolic cages for digestibility studies. Blood samples were also obtained for haematological studies. Results revealed significant differences (p<0.05) in the digestibility (%) of nutrients, with dry matter (45.85 – 51.38), crude fiber (61.74 – 77.63) and ether extract (24.82 – 34.67) digestibility being highest by WAD rams fed CBW0 silage. Among the cabbage wastes treated groups (CBW5 and CBW10), rams fed Treatment 2 (CBW5) recorded higher crude protein (58.29 %), ether extract (27.85 %) and nitrogen free extract (52.78 %) digestibilities. There were also significant differences (p<0.05) in the nitrogen intake, absorbed and retained by the rams, with rams on diet 1 without cabbage waste (CBW0) recording highest values in nitrogen balance (2,66 g/d) and retention (42.04 %). Among the cabbage waste treated groups, rams on CBW5 had higher values for nitrogen intake (6.33 g/d), absorbed nitrogen (4.05 g/d), nitrogen balance (2.58 g/d) and percentage nitrogen retention (40.74 %) indicating better protein utilization. Haematological parameters (packed cell volume, haemoglobin, red blod cell, white blood cell, lymphocytes, neutrophils, monocytes, eosinophil, basophils, mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular haemoglobin and mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration) differed significantly (p<0.05) across treatments, but were all within range that did not affect the normal physiological functions of the rams. Thus, rams can be fed other agro-industrial by-products without cabbage waste for maximal dry matter, crude fiber and ether extract digestibility. Additionally rams can be fed up to 5 % cabbage waste with no deleterious effect on digestibility, nitrogen retention and haematological indices.