DOI: 10.36347/sjavs.2014.v01i04.019

Pages: 249-254

Organic matter (OM), neutral detergent fiber (NDF) digestibility and metabolizable energy content of guinea grass and cassava peel with rice husk used as ruminant feeds were estimated from in vitro gas production technique. Three dietary treatments which were prepared include : TA (Guinea grass and concentrate supplement in a ratio of 70:30 was served as the controlled group), TB (Cassava peel with rice husk and concentrate supplement in a ratio of 60:10:30) and TC (Cassava peel with rice husk and concentrate supplement in a ratio 55:15:30). The experiment was in a complete randomized design (CRB) with each treatment replicated three times. The dietary treatments crude protein content varied from 12.6 - 18.75%, ether extract (7.24 – 8.77%), crude fiber (9.00 – 11.06%), ash (16.28 – 19.40%), nitrogen free extract (43.81 – 52.81%), neutral detergent fiber (9.75 – 11.98%), acid detergent fiber (15.27 – 17.17%). The results obtained showed that organic matter digestibility (56.10%), metabolishable energy (8.31MJ/KgDM), short chain fatty acids (0.99UM), gas volume at ml /12h and ml/24h (13.00 – 22.50ml) and methane (13.00ml) were significantly (P<0.05) better with animal on TA. Animals on TB had the highest (P<0.05) values in terms of dry matter (41.67%), neutral detergent fiber (42.80%), digestibility gas produced from the insoluble fraction (42.49ml) and gas production in rate constant for insoluble fraction (0.08mlh-1). Incubation time (11.56hr) was significantly (P<0.05) highest for animals on TC only. Finally, this investigation demonstrated that cassava peel with rice husk and concentrate supplement in a ratio of 60:10:30 (TB) had potential on rumen fermentation profiles on dwarf sheep using in vitro gas production technique.