FATTENING ATTRIBUTES OF YANKASA RAMS FED UREA TREATED GROUNDNUT SHELLS SUPPLEMENTED WITH XYLANASE AND GLUCANASE

Abstract

The effects of supplementing xylanase and glucanase with urea treated groundnut shells was evaluated on fattening performance of Yankasa rams in a 90 days feeding experiment. Four rations that met the requirement of the rams were compounded as follows: the control had no groundnut shell and enzyme, 50:50 xylanase glucanase ratio, 75:25 xylanase glucanase ratio and 25:75 xylanase glucanase ratio. Sixteen mature rams were randomly divided into four equal groups and were allocated to one of the four rations formulated. Each ram received the ration based on 5% body weight. The feed was separated into equal portions and fed twice daily. The results revealed significant (p<0.05) effects among dietary treatments. Average daily feed intake was improved (p<0.05) by 193.7 g/day in the 50:50 xylanase glucanase ratio. However, the control was least for FCR (11.34) and increased ADWG to about 6.13 g/day compared to the enzyme groups. Therefore, the combination of enzymes used in this study with urea treated groundnut shells for fattening rams may not be recommended to farmers over cowpea husk when weight gain and FCR is considered.