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Asian Journal of Agriculture and Development (AJAD) - Call for papers!

Feedlot Performance of Goats Fed with Different Levels of Azolla (Azolla Filiculoides Lam.) Meal and Dried Paragrass (Brachiaria Mutica (Forsk) Stapf) and Ipil-ipil (Leucaena Leucocephala (Lam de Wit))

(Philippines), Master of Science in Animal Science (University of the Philippines Los Baños)

Thesis Abstract:

Eighteen upgraded (Anglo-nubian x Native) fattening goats (5-7 months old) were used to evaluate the feedlot performance of the animals fed with different levels of Azolla meal and dried poultry manure in the concentrate mixtures using two methods of offering roughage.

No significant differences were observed on the total weight gain, average daily gain, voluntary dry matter intake, feed conversion, efficiency, percent growth rate, concentrate intake, roughage intake, and cost per kilogram gain of fattening goats after 84 days of feeding. However, total concentrate refusal of goats fed with T1 (50% azolla meal + 0% dried poultry manure + concentrates and fed with chopped roughage) and T2 (50% azolla meal + 0% dried poultry manure + concentrates and fed with unchopped roughage under ration A) were significantly higher compared to those fed  with ration B, T3 (30% azolla meal + 30% dried poultry manure + concentrates and fed with unchopped roughage), and ration C, T5 (0% azolla meal + 30% dried poultry manure + 25% copra meal + concentrates and fed with unchopped roughage).

No significant results were obtained in terms of feed conversion efficiency. However, goats fed with T3, T4, T5, and T6 performed relatively better than those fed with T1 and T2.

Results showed that the adoption of concentrate ration containing 30 percent azolla meal plus 30 percent dried poultry manure plus concentrates and fed with chopped roughage (T3) is more profitable as compared to all the other treatments because it involved the least cost to produce a kilogram of liveweight gain, higher total weight gain, average daily gain, and net returns.