RESEARCH COOPERATION FOR LIVESTOCK-BASED SUSTAINABLE FARMING SYSTEMS IN THE LOWER MEKONG BASIN-MEKARN UTA FOUNDATION

Master Course in Sustainable Livestock Based Farming Systems

2001-2003

Study on feeding behavior on goat fed

tree foliages 

Theng Kouch,

University of Tropical Agriculture, RUA, Cambodia

Abstract

In this thesis will device into two experiment, first is Studies on feeding behaviour and feed intake of goats: relative acceptability of fresh leaves or foliage as sole diet, and second is Observations on goat raising system of farmers along the Mekong river on production, reproduction and feed.

First experiment will be conducted in the ecological farm of the " University of Tropical Agriculture " in campus of Royal University of Agriculture, Khan Dangkor, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, during 48 days in three periods from 23 April to 11 June 2002. The trial was laid out in Latin Square with 9 male growing goats that have body weight 20.83±1.83 and age around 8 months. Three different groups of 3 goats will be fed each of the foliages as the sole feed. Each foliage will be offered in three ways (treatments):

L: Fresh leaves stripped from the branches

FH: Fresh foliage (the whole branch) suspended above the feed trough

F: Fresh foliage (the whole branch) put inside the feed trough

Two foliages, Jackfruit and Mulberry, will be conducted first, jack fruit collect from the farmers every two days and mulberry collect every day from farm of University of Tropical Agriculture. Another treatment will be continued after the two first finish, cassava. Cassava will be collected from the farmers around Kiean Svay district, for keeping in fresh it will be collected every two days. These foliages will be analyzed for Dry matter, N, protein, water soluble N and Dray matter, and ash. Goats will buy from farmers in Cham village, and use adaptation two steps, first use adapt with confinement place, 2 days, because goat use to free in the field and then adapt with metabolic cage in 8 days. During that time, goats will be observed in eating and ruminating in 24 hours in three occasions, day 5, 10 and 15. For data collection, feed offering, feed refusal, faeces and urine will be recorded in day 11 to 15. Refusal feed, faeces and urine will be collected and  keep in refrigerator about 10%. The rumen fluid will be collected by stomach type in last day, day 16, for pH, NH₃ and count of population of protozoa, 2 hours after feeding. Digestibility of dry matter and N, N retention and organic matter will be calculated.

Second experiment will be started after finish the first one. This experiment will be done with farmers who live along the banks of the Mekong River in Sang kat Chroy Chanvar, Khan Roesey Keo, Phnom Penh, and take 5 months. Twenty farmers will be selected and will be divided into five groups depending on the locality so that the farmers in each group are relatively close to each other. Selection of the farmers will be done according to their interest and readiness to cooperate with the researcher. This will be done in aim at to survey the feeding and management systems and productivity of goats raised by “Cham” households on the banks of the Mekong river. In this case growth rate of young goats, the live weights of goats less than 6 months of age will be recorded every two weeks. Reproduction performance and mortality will be assessed on the basis of the interviews and records (where available), one interview for each household. The observations of feeding system will be made of the localities where the goats graze, assessing the relative selection of foliage from shrubs / trees and grasses.  This will be done two times for each farm.

In this experiment, it is expected that the feed intake of tree leaves will be higher when the leaves are attached to the stem and hung above the feed trough, compared with putting the branches or only the leaves in the feed trough.

Key words: Foliages, feeding behaviour, intake, digest, retension.