Abstract
Sun-dried cassava peels were used as an energy source to replace maize offals in diets for pregnant Red Sokoto goats. The rations contained 0, 18.5, 37.0, 55.5 and 74.0% sun-dried cassava peels. An additional diet contained only cotton seed cake and common salt while the other rations also contained 25.0% cotton seed cake, 1.0% common salt and varied quantities of maize offals. Each of the six treatments comprised five Red Sokoto goats in early pregnancy supplemented with the appropriate corresponding ration at the rate of 1.5% of the liveweight. After supplementation
for 2 h in the morning, they were allowed to graze on native pastures in a specified paddock. The mean dry matter intake of the cassava peel-based rations was significantly (P < 0.01) affected by the level of cassava peel. This decreased linearly from 30.9g per W,!;75 per day in treatment 2 to 26.2g per W&75 per day in treatment 5.
The CP intake significantly (P < 0.01) decreased as the cassava peel level increased. The highest intake of 7.5 was in treatment 6 while the least was 3.0 g per Wi25 per day in treatment 5. There was no significant (P > 0.05) difference in the efficiency of feed conversion but the efficiency of CP utilization was significantly (P < 0.01) higher in the cassava peel-based rations than the cottonseed based ration.There was no significant (P > 0.05) difference in the liveweight gains of the goats during the first trimester of pregnancy even though the average daily gain ranged from 143 to 17 1 g per day. There were no abortions or mortalities during the period of pregnancy examined. The use of cassava peels, up to 74.0% in supplement rations, which completely replaced maize offals did not affect liveweight changes in pregnant goats grazed on native pasture. 0 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.