Comparative Effects of Moringa oleifera Leaf Meal, Flaxseed and their Combination on Growth Metrics and Feed Efficiency of Crossbred Goat Kids
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.48165/ijvsbt.22.5.09Keywords:
Feed intake, Flaxseed, Goat kids, Growth performance, Moringa oleiferaAbstract
This study evaluated the effects of Moringa oleifera leaf meal (MOLM) and flaxseed supplementation on growth performance, feed efficiency and utilization of Alpine × Beetal crossbred goat kids. Female Alpine Beetal goat kids (n=32) of similar age (3 months old) and weight (10-12 kg) were randomly assigned to 4 dietary treatments (n=8 each): Control (basal diet), T1 (20% MOLM), T2 (20% flaxseed) and T3 (10% MOLM + 10% flaxseed). The feeding trial lasted for 120-days. The T1 group demonstrated significantly higher dry matter & nutrient intake, nutrient digestibility, final body weight, average daily body weight gain, feed conversion indices, and nitrogen retention followed by T3 compared to combined treatment and control diet (p<0.05). These results indicated that dietary incorporation of 20% MOLM effectively enhanced growth performance and feed efficiency in goat kids and T3 group outperformed T2 but did not exceed T1 performance. Thus it was concluded that Moringa oleifera leaf meal supplementation represents a sustainable dietary strategy for improving growth and productive performance in Alpine × Beetal crossbred goat kids.
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