3.4. Weight gain
the present study (53.6 g d -1) was comparable to the
59gd -~ reported for the same breed of sheep fed
cassava peels supplemented with 20% Gliricidia sepium
leaves (Adegbola et al., 1989). The growth rates of
animals that received 150 g d -~ or more of the supplement
reflected the higher DM intake and the balance
of essential nutrients provided by the higher level of
supplementation. These results indicate that supplementation
of a cassava peel-based diet with 150 g of
ficus leaves per day may be sufficient to prevent this
class-of sheep from losing weight. Pre-weaning growth
rate of the Djallonk6 breed is about 60 g d -~ (Tuah &
Baah, 1985). The average daily gain for the breed, at a
comparable age (6-12 months), has been reported to
be 25 g (Wilson, 1991). Therefore the average daily
gains observed in animals which received 200 g d -~ or
more of ficus leaves in the present study are quite
remarkable.
Although the supplement appeared to have
depressed the digestibility of the diets in this study, the
effect of the depression on the performance of the
animals was, apparently, counteracted by the higher
feed intake the supplement induced in these animals.
This may have increased nutrient absorption, which
then translated into higher weight gains in these
animals. The positive linear response in feed intake
and growth of the animals to increasing level of the
leaves in the diets suggests a better balance of
nutrients from the simultaneous feeding of the leaves
and peels.
The results of the current study further indicated
that supplementation of a cassava peel-based ration for
sheep with 150 g d -1 of fiCUS leaves will elicit optimum
response in terms of dry matter intake and digestibility
of the nutrient fractions in the total ration. Moderate
growth rates could also be achieved with this level of
supplementation. The results further indicated that
higher growth rates were possible with higher levels
(200-250 g d -1) of ficus leaf supplementation. These
higher levels of supplementation are recommended in
areas where the leaves are available on a sustainable
basis, and the cost of obtaining them can be justified.
Animals that received 100 g d -1 or less of the supplement
lost weight during the course of the experiment
while those that received 150gd -1 or more gained
weight (Table 2). The highest growth rate observed in