Effect of replacement of concentrate mixture with chaya (Cnidoscolus aconitifolius) fodder meal on feed intake and digestibility of nutrients in growing goats

Abstract

Chaya is a drought tolerant, disease resistant plant of Central America. It is perennial in nature with high nutrient content. Chaya was introduced in India at Indian Grassland and Fodder Research Institute, Jhansi in 2006 to test its use as a fodder plant. Chaya fodder meal was prepared by harvesting leaves and soft stems (70–90 days old growth), chaffed and dried in the sun. 24 Bundelkhandi (age 157.8±5.2 days; 19.19±0.88 kg) goats were randomly divided into 4 treatment groups of 6 animals each. The animals were fed concentrate mixture (CP 20%) @ 2% of body weight, containing barley grain, mustard cake, wheat bran, mineral mixture and salt (T1). In treatment T2, 50% of the concentrate mixture was replaced by chaya fodder meal; in T3, 75% and in T4, 100% was replaced with chaya fodder meal. All the animals were given ad lib. oat hay. Average daily DM intake ranged from 524 to 619 g in T1 to T4. The dry matter intake (kg/100 kg b wt.) ranged from 2.71 (T4) to 3.3 (T2). The digestibility (%) of dry matter ranged from 57.3 (T4) to 63.9 (T1), organic matter (OM) (58.8 in T4 to 65.3 in T1). The digestibility of crude protein, NDF and ADF did not differ significantly among the groups. The results indicated that chaya fodder meal can replace up to 75% of the conventional mixture without affecting the DM intake or digestibility of nutrients in growing goats.