Nutritive value and Palatability rating of fifteen Selected Indigenous Kenyan Browse Species fed to Small East African Goats.

Abstract

A palatability study was conducted using fifteen indigenous multipurpose tree leaf forages offered to twenty intact male Small East African Goats, 7 to 8 months and 18kg ± 2.1kg. The CP (gkg-1DM) of the best five species were: M. angolensis (321), A. senegal, (249),Z. mucronata, (200), G. bicolor, (196) and A. brevispica, (187). The NDF and ADF contents ranged from 218-601 for A. hockii and A. amara, and 160-462 for A. hockii and A. abyssinica, respectively. The palatability ranking of the forages was in the order: A. tortilis> M. angolensis> B. aegyptiaca> Z. mucronata> A. coriaria> A. Senegal> A. abyssinica> A. mellifera> A. brevispica> A. elatior> A. amara> G. bicolor> A. nilotica> B. micrantha> A. hockii. M. angolensis and Z. mucronata had OMD of 68.0 and 73.8%, respectively. M. angolensis, Z. mucronata ranked highly on the parameters studied. It is concluded that Maerua angolensis and Zizyphus mucronata being high in nutritive value and palatability, are potential protein supplements to low quality basal diets.