Determining the optimum proportion of water spinach as supplement to a basal diet of mango foliage on feed intake and growth rate in local goats 

Daovy Kongmanila, Kham Phommachanh and Preston T R

National University of Laos
daovyk@yahoo.com

Abstract

The experiment was conducted to determine the optimum proportion of water spinach as supplementation on feed intake and growth performance of goats. In experiment, fifteen male goats with initial body weight (BW) of 14 kg and around 4.5 months of age, were arranged in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with five blocks and three treatments: Mango foliage + water spinach 0.5% of BW as DM (WS0.5); Mango foliage + water spinach 1.0% of BW as DM (WS1.0); Mango foliage + water spinach 1.5% of BW as DM (WS1.5). Mango foliage was fed ad libitum but water spinach was offered in different percentage of supplementation. 

 There was an increased significant difference in feed offered, feed intake and nutrient intake (CP and OM) between treatments (P<0.05), with MWS 1.5 being significantly higher in those parameters than MWS 0.5 and MWS 1.0. The average daily gain (ADG) was a significant difference among the treatment with MWS 1.0 being higher compared to MWS 0.5 and MWS 1.5 (P<0.05).

It was concluded that fresh water spinach could be good supplemented feed with low quality foliage as mango foliage in goat diets.

Figure 1; Effect on DM Intake of goats of supplemented Mango foliage with water spinach	Figure 2; Effect on weight gain of goats by supplementing Mango foliage with increasing levels of water spinach

 

Keyword: mango foliage, water spinach, goat, feed intake, growth performance