PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS AND NITROGEN UTILIZATION OF WEST AFRICAN DWARF RAMS FED DIET CONTAINING GARLIC (Allium sativum) MEAL

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the growth performance and nitrogen metabolism of West African Dwarf (WAD) rams fed diets containing Garlic (Allium sativum) meal. A total of 25 WAD rams were used in a 14-week experiment, following a completely randomized design. The experimental diets were formulated to include garlic

meal at inclusion levels of 0.0%, 0.5%, 1.0%, 1.5%, and 2.0%, designated as treatments 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 respectively. Data collected on performance characteristics including final weight, weight gain, feed intake, and feed conversion ratio (FCR), were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). The results showed

that the final weight of the rams ranged from 22.25 to 24.72 kg, with no significant differences observed across the garlic inclusion levels. However, dry matter concentrate intake was significantly influenced by garlic supplementation, with the highest intake of 348.51 g/day recorded at the 2% inclusion level. The lowest FCR

value of 8.54 was achieved at the 1.0% garlic inclusion level, indicating improved feed efficiency. Nitrogen intake varied significantly, ranging from 10.50 to 17.52 g/day, with higher levels of garlic inclusion leading to increased nitrogen retention, which ranged from 57.56% to 68.78%. Based on these findings, it was concluded

that garlic meal can be included in the diets of WAD rams at levels of up to 2.0% to enhance nitrogen utilization and overall performance. This suggests that garlic meal is a viable feed additive for improving the productivity and nutrient efficiency of WAD rams.