ABSTRACT
The study was conducted to determine the effects of supplementing probiotics and concentrates on intake and growth performance of Sahelian does fed Brachiaria decumbens grass. Twenty-four Sahelian does averaging one year and weighing 13.3 ± 1.16 kg were assigned randomly in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement to four treatments in a Completely Randomized Design with 6 replicates and used to measure intake and live weight changes for 14 weeks. The factors were levels of concentrate and probiotics. Blood samples were taken for the determination of haematological and biochemical parameters. The results revealed differences (P < 0.05) in total dry matter intake, live weight changes and feed conversion ratio attributable to treatment effects. The differences observed in total dry matter intake led to improvements in average daily gain, feed conversion ratio and growth rate. All blood haematological indices with the exception of mean cell volume were impacted positively by treatment effects. White blood cell and total protein contents improved linearly with probiotics and higher level of concentrate supplementation, while total cholesterol content declined (P < 0.05). The results highlighted the positive impact of probiotics and higher level of concentrate supplementation on growth performance and blood profile of growing Sahelian does on a basal diet of Brachiaria decumbens grass.
Introduction
Despite the enormous benefits of goats in human nutrition, food security and economic empowerment, research and development of goats in Ghana has been low. In Ghana, goats are reared primarily for meat under the extensive system of management where animals graze on native uncultivated tropical grasses (Awuma Citation2012; Ansah and Issaka Citation2018) usually with little or no supplementation. The potential and productivity of goats in Ghana are confronted with various challenges key among them being sub-optimal feeding due to the dependence on natural pastures. These natural pastures have been shown to be variable in both quality and quantity due to seasonal effects (Ansah et al. Citation2010).
In Ghana, natural pastures which are usually influenced by changing patterns of rainfall supply over 90% of livestock feed throughout the year. Unfortunately, the amount and quality of forage provided from these natural pastures exhibit fluctuations due to season (Oppong-Anane Citation2006) which have affected the availability of all-year-round good-quality fodder for goats. To arrest this trend there is a need to establish pastures with high-yielding and good-quality forage species that can withstand short-term drought conditions. One such forage species is Brachiaria decumbens commonly called signal grass. B. decumbens does well in a wide range of soils and has been extensively utilized as a pasture species for ruminants because of its quality and a growth habit that allows it to cover the ground densely suppressing weed growth in the process (Low Citation2015).
Proper usage of forages, browses and agro-industrial by-products coupled with appropriate supplementation of low quality forages and crop residues appear to be a step in the right direction towards easing the feeding challenges of goats in the country. Goats have been reported to be superior, relative to other ruminants, in their ability to utilize forages high in fibre and low in protein for maintaining their bodies and productivity (Howe et al. Citation1988). According to Alih et al. (Citation2021), this potential could be enhanced through supplementation to increase productivity. Variations in protein and energy contents are the major nutritional parameters that affect goat productivity (Tolera et al. Citation2000). Energy and protein-giving diets are the most important forms of nutrient supplementation during periods of low quality feed and feed scarcity and must be provided in combination. According to Otaru et al. (Citation2020), energy intake of livestock can be enhanced by either feeding higher levels of concentrate or by increasing the energy density of the concentrate through the addition of fat or soluble carbohydrates. Concentrate supplementation has reportedly been used as an essential nutritional management tool to enhance productivity and improve the health of livestock (Yousuf et al. Citation2014) by boosting the immune system.
Probiotics can be used in addition to other forms of supplementation to boost the efficiency with which nutrients are utilized in growing ruminant livestock (Khalid M et al. Citation2011). Antibiotics have been used for many decades to stimulate growth and control diseases (Plail Citation2006), but many countries have banned it owing to the occurrence of antibiotic residues in animal products and the development of resistance to antibiotics by certain bacteria. Thus the renewed interest in probiotics has been precipitated by the extensive utilization of antibiotics and the likelihood of antibiotic resistance being transferred to pathogenic bacteria in man (Chiquette Citation2009).
Vicbinzy powder (Hebei Weierli Animal Pharmaceutical Group Co., Ltd, China) is a probiotic for livestock and poultry that promotes growth and reproduction of valuable bacteria within the intestines, improves digestibility, improves upon immunity from diseases, increases feed conversion rate and effectively inhibits pathogenic bacteria in the intestine. The product is also easy to administer by mixing with feed. Vicbinzy powder probiotics is composed of Clostridium butyricum (≥ 5.0 × 107), Bacillus subtilis (1 × 109cfu/g) and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp (1.8 × 109cfu/g).
Millet mash residue, a by-product of ‘Hausa Koko’ (millet porridge) and millet beer preparation, is relished by goats and readily available locally. Karikari et al. (Citation2011) evaluated millet mash residue meal-based diets as feed for rabbits and established that rabbits could do better on diets containing a blend of millet mash residue and soybean meal than a blend of millet mash residue and fish meal or even diets that have a blend of fish meal and soybean meal (1:2) as the source of protein without millet mash residue.
Goat farmers in Ghana seldom buy and use commercial concentrate feeds due largely to the cost and management systems adopted which are largely extensive. To this end, relatively cheaper locally compounded or home-made concentrate feeds from locally available agro-industrial by-products could change farmers’ attitude to concentrate feeding for higher productivity particularly during the dry season. Indeed Maleko et al.(Citation2018) have reported that concentrate diets recommended for goats are often available commercially but expensive for the resource-constrained farmer particularly those domiciled in the rural communities. This work was intended at helping to ultimately provide farmers with first-hand valuable information regarding the effects of supplementing probiotics and home-made concentrates on the productivity of goats in Ghana.
To this end, the current study sought to evaluate the impacts of supplementing probiotics and home-made concentrates on the growth performance and blood indices of growing Sahelian does fed B. decumbens grass under intensive management. The study further sought to establish the optimum level of supplementing concentrates in growing does in accordance with efficient utilization of forage.
Materials and methods
Experimental location
The study was undertaken at the Dairy and Beef Cattle Research Station of the Department of Animal Science, KNUST. All chemical analyses were performed at the Nutrition Laboratory, Department of Animal Science. The study area can be found between Latitude 06˚43′N and Longitude 1˚36′W. The area lies inside the humid semi-deciduous forest belt with a bimodal rainfall distribution. Average annual rainfall for the site is around 1194 mm. Mean maximum and minimum temperatures for the location are respectively 32.0°C and 22.1°C (Ghana Meteorological Agency Station, KNUST).
Source of feeds and probiotics
The basal diet used for the study was B. decumbens regrowth at 60 days after sprouting. Harvesting continued daily throughout the study period. The grass was harvested fresh each morning, chopped to a length of 10–15 cm and fed individually to the goats. Analysed chemical components of B. decumbens utilized as basal diet is shown in .
Table 1. Chemical composition of air-dried B. decumbens on dry matter basis.
The concentrate was compounded from millet mash residue (obtained from Hausa ‘Koko’ preparation from Koko sellers within the Kumasi Metropolis), wheat bran, oyster shell, salt and vitamin-mineral premix all acquired from local suppliers. Dried millet mash residue alone is usually a bit too powdery for ruminants so mixing it with wheat bran (as used in this study) not only gave it the right texture but also boosted its nutritive value as a protein and energy concentrate. Details of the levels of other ingredients in the concentrate supplement and the analysed chemical components are presented in . The home-made formulated concentrate mix, used as a protein-energy supplement, had millet mash residue and wheat bran as the main ingredients. Individual ingredients were carefully weighed based on the inclusion levels in and thoroughly mixed together manually using a shovel on a clean cemented floor in a manner local farmers can easily replicate. The probiotic supplement was weighed and initially added to 100 g of the concentrate and thoroughly mixed. The resulting mixture of probiotics and the concentrate was then thoroughly mixed into the required larger portion of the compounded concentrate that required the addition of probiotics, to ensure even mixing of the probiotics into the concentrate before being bagged and labelled. This was done fortnightly till the end the feeding trial.
Table 2. Percentage inclusion of dietary ingredients and chemical composition of concentrate.
Vicbinzy Powder Probiotics (multi-strain), a commercial product purchased from a local veterinary store at Amakom in Kumasi, was used as the source of probiotic supplementation. Vicbinzy Powder, supplied by Hebei Weierli Pharmaceutical Group Co., Ltd, China, is composed of Clostridium butyricum (≥ 5.0 × 107), Bacillus subtilis (1 × 109cfu/g) and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp (1.8 × 109cfu/g).
Experimental design and treatments
Twenty-four Sahelian does weighing averagely 13.3 ± 1.16 kg and aged 12–15 months was randomly allotted to a 2 × 2 factorial in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with six replications. The factors were levels of probiotics (0 and 100 g per 100 kg of concentrate) and concentrate (500 and 1000 g per day) supplementation. The 4 corresponding dietary treatments imposed were designated P0C500 for ‘no probiotics with lower level (500 g/d) of concentrate supplementation, P0C1000 for ‘no probiotics with higher level (1000 g/d) of concentrate supplementation’, P100C500 for ‘probiotics (100 g/100 kg of concentrate) with lower level (500 g/d) of concentrate supplementation’ and P100C1000 for ‘probiotics (100 g/100 kg of concentrate) with higher level (1000 g/d) of concentrate supplementation. All treatments were given fed B. decumbens grass as basal diet. Thus, the sources of variability were the levels of supplementation of probiotics and concentrate.
Housing and health management
The does were kept in separate well-ventilated pens with concrete floors measuring (2.5 m × 1 m). Plastic ear tags were used to identify each doe. The floors of the individual pens were covered with wood shavings, which were changed every week, to absorb the urine. The pens were cleaned and disinfected prior to the commencement of the study. Ivermectin injectable was administered at the beginning of the study period to all does against internal and external parasites.
Diets and feeding management
B. decumbens grass was harvested every morning, chopped (10–15 cm in length) and fed to the does separately at the rate of 50 g per kg live of weight to enhance intake based upon the findings of Osafo et al. (Citation1997). All pens were provided with 2 feeding troughs (for the grass and concentrate) and a plastic mini bucket for drinking water. A grass basal diet was offered at 10:00 am after the concentrate had earlier been offered at 8:30 am. All does had ad libitum access to clean and cool drinking water daily. The does were adapted to the handling conditions and the experimental diets for two weeks before data taking commenced. The pens were cleaned daily and the feed refusals of both the grass basal diet and concentrate from the previous day were removed, weighed and recorded every morning to determine intake.
Chemical analyses
Samples of the basal diet and concentrate were collected for each week and then bulked separately. Sub-samples (30%) of the bulked samples for each week were taken and processed by grinding to pass through 1 mm mesh sieve and kept in plastic bags. At the end of the experiment, all weekly sub-samples were bulked and sampled for chemical analyses. Samples of the grass basal diet and concentrates were taken for proximate analysis according to the procedures of Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC Citation1990). The neutral detergent fibre and the acid detergent fibre fractions were found based on the methods described by Goering and Van Soest (Citation1970). Following the methodology developed by Goering and Van Soest (Citation1970), acid detergent lignin was also determined.
Parameters measured
At the beginning of the study, all does were weighed individually on two consecutive days before feeding and the average of the two measurements used as the initial weights.
Thereafter, weekly weight gains were measured in the mornings before feeding and watering. The feeding and growth trial lasted for 14 weeks. Daily dry matter (DM) intake was calculated from records of feed offered and refused on a daily basis. Samples of the grass basal diet offered and the refusals thereof were also taken and the weekly composite samples were dried for 48 h at 60°C for dry matter determination which was subsequently used to adjust the quantity of the grass basal diet fed every week.
Additionally, growth performance parameters were determined as follows: average daily gain (ADG) was calculated as the difference between the final body weight (BW) and initial BW divided by the number of days on feed. Total weight gain (TWG, kg) was determined as the difference between final BW and initial BW. Growth rate (GR, %) = (final BW – initial BW)/(initial BW) × 100 (Saleem et al. Citation2017). Feed conversion ratio (FCR) was calculated using the ratio between DM intake and average daily gain.
Blood samples (5 ml from each doe) were drawn with sterilized disposable syringe and hypodermic needles (5 ml syringe with 20 gauge needle) from all does. Out of the 5 ml of blood drawn, 2 ml was put into labelled sterile vacutainer tubes containing ethylene-diamine-tetra-acetic acid (EDTA) as anticoagulant for hematological analysis. The remaining 3 ml of blood was put into labelled sterile sample bottles without anticoagulant for serum biochemical analysis. The blood samples were immediately sent to the medical laboratory of the KNUST Hospital for haematological and biochemical analysis.
Animal care and welfare
All the necessary standard operating procedures outlined by the Animal Research Ethics Committee (AREC Citation2018) of the Quality Assurance and Planning Unit of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi were followed.
Statistical analysis
All data gathered were analysed as a 2 × 2 factorial in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) of Minitab Statistical package Version 18.1 (Citation2019). The means were separated by Bonferroni pairwise comparison. Differences between means were deemed significant at P < 0.05.
Results and discussion
Chemical composition of diets
Analysed CP content of B. decumbens was within the range of 66.8–116.8 g/kgDM as reported by Mutimura and Everson (Citation2012) for B. decumbens cv local in 2 different districts in Rwanda. However, the current CP content was lower than those of other varieties and hybrids of Brachiaria grass like B. brizantha cv Marandu (98.3–109.1 g/kgDM), Brachiaria hybrid Bro2/1485 (126.9–156.7 g/kgDM), Brachiaria hybrid cv Mulato (115.6–119.4 g/kgDM) and Brachiaria hybrid cv Mulato II (122.9–142.9 g/kgDM) reported by Mutimura and Everson (Citation2012). The variances in CP contents could be attributed to the species, fertility level of soil, climate (Minson Citation1990) and maturity (Rambau et al. Citation2016). However, it is noteworthy that the CP level of B. decumbens in the present work (77.9 g/kgDM) was more than the critical level of 7% (70 g/kg) required for voluntary feed intake (Nori et al. Citation2009) in ruminants and for rumen microbial sustainability (Lazzarini et al. Citation2009).
The NDF value in the present work (644.0 g/kgDM) was desirable as it was lower than 72% which according to Lima et al. (Citation2002) will lead to low intake of forage. Higher contents of NDF make grasses more fibrous thereby increasing rumen retention time and lower feed intake as a result. The current NDF value was relatively lower than the 695.6 g/kgDM reported by Maia et al. (Citation2014) for B. decumbens. Likewise, the current ADF value of 316.4 g/kgDM was also equally desirable because Nussio et al. (Citation1998) have reported earlier that forages with 40% or more of ADF have poor intake and subsequently poor digestibility. Forages with higher ADF have been reported to lower digestibility (Costa et al. Citation2005). The current ADF value is also lower than the 396.6 g/kgDM found by Maia et al. (Citation2014). The metabolizable energy (ME) content of B. decumbens in this study was lower than the reference value of 2000.48 kcal/kg as specified by CNCT (Citation1975). According to CNCT (Citation1975), forages with ME values exceeding 2000.48 (8.37 MJ/kgDM) are of high quality. The disparities in chemical components and ME between the values in the current work and those of other works could be due to factors such as plant maturity (Rambau et al. Citation2016), species, soil fertility and climate (Minson Citation1990).
The home-made concentrate supplement was compounded to contain 16% crude protein and 2863.3Kcal/kgDM (Otaru et al. Citation2020). The CP (155.7 g/kg), NDF (370.0 g/kg) and ash (94.3 g/kg) levels of the concentrate in this study could be compared to the 163.0, 364.0 and 90.0 g/kg respectively reported for concentrate fed to goats by Otaru et al. (Citation2020). However, the ADF (250.0 g/kg) and ME (2863.3Kcal/kg) contents reported by the authors were higher than the 130.0 g/kg and 2364.75 Kcal/kg respectively obtained in the current study. The proximate components (DM, CP, EE, CF and NFE) of the concentrate in the current study were all lower than those of a commercially available ready-made concentrate fed to goat kids by Singh and Sharma (Citation2019). Similarly, concentrate formulated and fed to Afar goats by Seid-Hassen et al. (Citation2020) had 258.0, 498.0 and 224.0 g/kg for CP, NDF and ADF respectively which were all greater than those obtained for the concentrate supplement used in this work. The present value for ash content however was higher relative to the report of Seid-Hassen et al. (Citation2020). The disparities in the chemical compositions are attributable to the differing ingredients and their levels used in formulating the concentrates.
Live weight changes and feed intake of does
Results on how the probiotics and concentrate supplementation affected the growth performance of does are shown in . Significant interactions (P < 0.05) between probiotics and concentrate supplementation were observed for all variables measured with the exception of initial weight (13.41– 13.19 kg) and average daily intake of grass (408.27–416.99gDM/d). The interaction between probiotic and concentrate for final weight was due to higher levels of both probiotics and concentrate supplementation. The final live weights (18.38–20.37 kg) improved linearly (P < 0.05) as the levels of probiotics and concentrate supplements increased. Interaction between levels of probiotic and concentrate was present (P < 0.05) due to the higher levels of probiotics and concentrates. Total weight gain (TWG) improved linearly from 4.98 to 7.18 kg as the levels of probiotics and concentrate increased which was indicative of a synergy between the probiotics and concentrate supplementation. A similar positive effect of probiotics supplementation on weight gain has been established by Antunovic et al. (Citation2006) and Whitley et al. (Citation2009).
Table 3. Effects of levels of probiotics and concentrate supplementation on intake and live weight changes of does.
It can be seen from that higher levels of both probiotic and concentrate comparatively recorded the highest TWG. This trend corroborates the report of Singh et al. (Citation2015) who found that goats supplemented with concentrate and microbial feed additive had the highest TWG in comparison with those that received only concentrate and those that received neither concentrate nor microbial feed additive. Again, a similar observation regarding higher TWG as a result of concentrate and probiotic supplementation has been reported by Yadav and Khan (Citation2011) and Chopade et al. (Citation2010).
A significant (P < 0.05) probiotic by concentrated interaction was detected for ADG which improved linearly from 50.83 to 72.83 g attributable to higher levels of probiotics and concentrate. Probiotics have been found by Dutta et al. (Citation2009) to have the capacity to fuel-specific groups of helpful bacteria within the rumen which undoubtedly can lead to an improvement in ADG as was seen in this study. The trend of increase in ADG as a result of concentrate supplementation is consistent with the report of Madibela and Segwagwe (Citation2008) who recounted that goat productivity could be enhanced by supplementing concentrate. For the treatments that received both probiotic and concentrate supplementation, the higher level of concentrate supplementation led to a significantly (P < 0.05) better ADG as seen in . The current ADG were all higher than those (37.5–40.3 g/day) reported for Black Bengal goats by Kabir et al. (Citation2002). A similar observation regarding the combined effect of concentrate and microbial feed additive on ADG was recounted by Singh et al. (Citation2015) where goats that received supplementation both had a significantly higher ADG (76.54 g) than those that were given only concentrate (69.90) and those that had neither concentrate nor microbial feed additive (41.51 g). The current highest ADG (72.83 g) was lower than the 76.54 g reported by Singh et al. (Citation2015) but higher than the 69.9 g/day specified by Patterson et al. (Citation2009) when goat pellets containing 18% CP were fed as supplement to grass hay diets. The significant live body weight changes seen in this study could be a result of optimum pH for optimum activity of rumen microbial flora leading to enhanced degradation of crude fibre and the eventual better absorption and assimilation of digested nutrients by the does due to probiotic and concentrate supplementation as reported by Singh et al. (Citation2015).
Regarding intake of the grass basal diet, Sultana et al. (Citation2012) observed a similar phenomenon where intake of dry matter from the basal diet declined with increase in the level of concentrate supplementation however the differences observed among the groups were statistically not significant (P > 0.05). However, probiotic by concentrate interaction for average daily intake of concentrate was significant (P < 0.05) due to the higher levels of concentrate offered in treatments P0C1000 and P100C1000. Consequently, intake of concentrate increased sharply (P < 0.05) with increase in the level from 500 to 1000 g/d (). There was no substitution effect. Levels of probiotic supplementation did not (P > 0.05) influence concentrate intake. Likewise, interaction between levels of probiotic and concentrate was present (P < 0.05) for total intake because of the levels of concentrate offered.
Total intake improved significantly (P < 0.05) with increase in level of concentrate supplementation. This observation corroborates the earlier report of Sultana et al. (Citation2012) who found significant (P < 0.01) increase in total voluntary intake when they supplemented a concentrate mixture. Otaru et al. (Citation2020) also observed increases in total intake when the level of supplementation increased in Red Sokoto goats fed a basal diet of Digitaria smutsii hay. The enhanced total dry matter intake observed with increase in level of concentrate supplementation might be attributed to increased intake of protein and energy from the concentrate which may have acted synergistically to aid the growth of rumen microbes and subsequently ensured better digestion and feed intake as reported by Otaru et al. (Citation2016). The trend of increase in dry matter intake with increase in level of concentrate supplementation observed in this study however contradicts the report of Mele et al. (Citation2008) who found dry matter intake to be similar when goats on a basal diet of roughage were supplemented with varying levels of concentrate. As the response of lambs to upsurges in dietary energy levels depends on the quality of the basal diet/forage (Matejovsky and Sanson Citation1995), the inconsistency between the current trend and that of Mele et al. (Citation2008) could be related to the quality of the basal diets. Probiotic supplementation however, did not positively influence (P > 0.05) total intake (). Relative to the effects of probiotics on total intake, the current trend was similar to the findings reported by Titi et al. (Citation2008) and Hernandez et al. (Citation2009), where no differences in dry matter intake was observed when yeast culture was supplemented in the diets of lambs and kids. Conversely, Antunovic et al. (Citation2006) and Whitley et al. (Citation2009) both documented positive impacts of probiotics on nutrient intake due to improvement in rumen cellulolytic bacteria of lambs supplemented with probiotics. Du et al. (Citation2018) also found that supplementating probiotics (B. amyloliquefaciens and B. subtilis) enhanced intake of feed which is also variance with the current trend.
The significant interaction effect (P < 0.05) between probiotics and concentrate observed for feed conversion ratio (FCR) was attributable to treatment differences. FCR improved linearly due to probiotic supplementation () which was in harmony with the findings of some earlier works (Robinson Citation2002; Antunovic et al. Citation2006; Whitley et al. Citation2009). Supplementation with probiotics aids in maintaining gut microflora homeostasis, which improves feed conversion ultimately resulting in increased meat production (Maake et al. Citation2021; Mani et al. Citation2021). The level of concentrate supplementation also influenced (P < 0.05) FCR which declined from 14.83 in treatment P0C500 to 16.83 in treatment P0C1000 and from 12.00 in treatment P100C500 to 14.00 in treatment P100C1000. However, does from treatments with lower levels of concentrates had better FCR. A significant probiotic by concentrate interaction (P < 0.05) was also observed for growth rate. Higher levels of both probiotics and concentrate accounted for the significant interaction that was seen. Growth rate ranged from 37.0% in treatment P0C500 to 54.83% in treatment P100C1000. Growth rate improved linearly as the levels of both probiotic and concentrate increased. Similar positive effects of concentrate supplementation on growth rate had been reported Sikosana Maphosa (Citation1995) Probiotics have also been reported to result in better growth performance as they enhance the microbial ecosystem (Musa et al., Citation2009) as well as the synthesis and bio-availability of nutrients in livestock (Oyetayo and Oyetayo Citation2005). In the current study, the probiotics may have largely improved the growth of epithelial cells of the rumen and intestines which enhanced the uptake of nutrients (Nalla et al. Citation2022) and ultimately resulted in enhanced growth. However, Whitley et al. (Citation2009) did not observe any improvement in the growth performance of goats, when they were supplemented with probiotics, which is at variance with the current results.
Blood parameters in feeding trials
Haematological parameters reflect how animals respond to their internal and external environments of which feed is a critical component (Esonu et al. Citation2001). According to Madubuike and Ekenyen (Citation2006), blood indices of farm animals show their physiological disposition to a given feed. In this regard, it is possible to assess blood parameters to determine whether a feedstuff has had any harmful influence on the physiology of a given animal. Blood haematological and biochemical assessments are also utilized extensively for diagnosing several diseases in livestock (Jawasreh et al., Citation2010).
Effects of probiotic and concentrate supplementation on haematological parameters
Details of the results of haematological evaluations conducted are provided in . Significant interactions (P < 0.05) between probiotics and concentrate supplementation, attributable to treatment differences, were present for all haematological parameters measured with the exception of mean cell volume (MCV). Some of the MCV values obtained (25.43–27.23fL) were slightly higher than the 16 to 25fL specified by Feldman et al. (Citation2002) yet comparable to the 27.31fL obtained by Waziri et al. (Citation2010). The observed differences could be attributable to treatment effects as type of feeding has reportedly been identified (Daramola et al. Citation2005; Elitok Citation2012) to influence haematological values among other factors like age, gender, breed and health status.
Table 4. Effects of Probiotic and Concentrate supplementation on haematological parameters of Sahelian does.
Haemoglobin (Hb) concentration increased linearly (P < 0.05) from 10.03 g/dl in treatment P0C500 to 12.35 g/dl in treatment P100C1000 as a result of probiotics and concentrate supplementation. The current range of values for Hb (10.03–12.35 g/dl) were comparable to the normal physiological range of 8–12 g/dl stated by Feldman et al. (Citation2002) for Sahelian goats but were all higher than the 9.21 and the 9.77 g/dl recorded by Waziri et al. (Citation2010) and Habibu et al. (Citation2016) respectively. The values were also higher than the 9.8 g/dl reported for females goats by Egbe-Nwiyi et al. (Citation2015). However, the highest Hb value (12.35 g/dl) recorded for treatment P100C1000 was comparable to the 12.24 g/dl reported by Abba et al. (Citation2013). Normal Hb count enhances the oxygen-carrying capacity of blood to enable animals to function and perform optimally. Hb values lower than the normal physiological range could be attributed to malnutrition and gastrointestinal disease as reported by Remi-Adewumi et al. (Citation2004). Thus the Hb values obtained in the current study show that the goats were healthy during the study and that the treatments imposed did not exert any deleterious health effect on the does. The normal Hb values observed also suggest that all does had high oxygen-carrying capacities that equipped them with the ability to withstand respiratory stress as reported by Oni et al. (Citation2012).
Red blood cell (RBC) response was positive for both probiotics and concentrate but higher for concentrate supplementation. Values for RBC count ranged from 10.83 to 12.85(106/μL) for 1000 g/d of concentrate supplementation. All RBC values obtained were within the normal physiological range of 8–12 (106/μL) reported by Feldman et al. (Citation2002) and comparable to the 11.68 (106/μL) by Waziri et al. (Citation2010) except that of treatment P100C1000 which was higher as seen in . Interestingly, the highest RBC value obtained was however lower than the 15.27 (106/μL) reported by Abba et al. (Citation2013) and the 13.5(106/μL) stated for female goats by Egbe-Nwiyi et al. (Citation2015). It is noteworthy that all the present RBC values were indicative of good health since lower values of RBC could also be ascribed to malnutrition and gastrointestinal disease (Remi-Adewumi et al. Citation2004). High Hb levels are indicative of a high capability to transport oxygen (Baiden et al. Citation2007) so the higher values for treatments P0C1000 and P100C1000 suggest that those treatments were better in terms of the capacity of the blood to carry oxygen.
It can be observed from that white blood cell (WBC) count showed a downward trend with an increase in levels of probiotic and concentrate supplementation. The values ranged from 10.52 to 13.22 (103/μL). The decrease became pronounced (P < 0.05) in treatment P100C1000 in which the levels of both probiotic and concentrate were higher relative to the other treatments (). All the present WBC values compared well to the normal physiological WBC range (3–13 (103/μL) stated by Feldman et al. (Citation2002) for Sahelian goats as well as the 11.9 (103/μL) by Egbe-Nwiyi et al. (Citation2015) for female goats. Having WBC values within the normal physiological range is indicative of good health (Coroian et al. Citation2011). The current normal WBC values also suggest that the treatments imposed did not impart any health hazard to the does. Higher values of WBC on the other hand, may be symptomatic of the activation of defence and immunity to contagions or poisonous substances (Al-Bulushi et al. Citation2017). In this regard, the current WBC values suggested that all does were in good health during the study. Probiotics boost the immune system (Anee et al. Citation2021) by secreting anti-toxins and antimicrobial substances that overpower the activities of pathogens (Dankowiakowska et al. Citation2013; Ding et al. Citation2021) so that probably explains in part why WBC values for the treatments that received probiotics declined.
Higher levels of concentrate supplementation accounted for the interaction observed between probiotics and concentrate for packed cell volume (PCV) which generally increased with increase in levels of both probiotic and concentrate supplementation. PCV essentially measures the ratio of the volume of RBC to that of the whole blood in a sample (Amosu et al. Citation2017). The values ranged from 28.90% in treatment P0C500 to 31.80% in treatment P100C1000. The increase in PCV observed could be ascribed to the availability of additional nutrients from the concentrate supplement and their subsequent uptake facilitated by the probiotics (Nalla et al. Citation2022) which may have resulted in compensatory accelerated production. According to Opara et al. (Citation2010), compensatory accelerated production has been proven to boost PCV particularly after periods of stress and infection. The changes in PCV levels notwithstanding, the current values were within the normal physiological range of 22–38% reported by Feldman et al. (Citation2002) for Sahelian goats. The current values are also comparable to the 33.5% and 31.50% obtained by Abba et al. (Citation2013) and Habibu et al. (Citation2016) respectively. However, they were lower than the 32.6% obtained by Egbe-Nwiyi et al. (Citation2015) for female goats.
The trend for mean cell haemoglobin (MCH) and mean cell haemoglobin concentration (MCHC) were similar; a rise with an increase in levels of both probiotic and concentrate supplementation (). However, probiotics by concentrate interactions observed for MCH and MCHC were attributable to probiotic supplementation. Values obtained for MCH were all outside the range of 2.2 to 8pg reported by Feldman et al. (Citation2002). However, the value for treatment P0C500 was similar to the 8.86pg obtained by Waziri et al. (Citation2010). In the case of MCHC, mean values for P0C500 and P0C1000 were within the 30–36 g/dL stipulated by Feldman et al. (Citation2002) for goats but those of treatments P100C500 and P100C1000 were a bit higher. The observed differences in MCH and MCHC relative to those in the previous works could be attributable to differences in feeding, stress level, age, sex, genetics, management, housing, and other environmental factors like temperature and relative humidity (Balikci et al. Citation2007; Olayemi et al. Citation2009).
Effects of probiotic and concentrate supplementation biochemical parameters
shows data on the effects of probiotics and varying levels of concentrate supplement on blood biochemical indices of goats. Levels of probiotic by concentrate supplementation interaction were present (P < 0.05) for all parameters with the exception of globulin content. Interaction between probiotics and concentrate for total protein was due to the higher levels of both probiotics and concentrate supplementation. Serum total protein is an indirect index for measuring the nutritional protein adequacy of an animal (Oboh et al. Citation2011). Accordingly, total protein and albumin contents improved (P < 0.05) with increases in levels of probiotic and concentrate supplementation.
Table 5. Effects of probiotics and concentrate supplementation on biochemical parameters of Sahelian does.
Total protein increased from 65.55 g/l for treatment P0C500 to 75.27 g/l for treatment P100C1000. Total protein values in the current work were higher than the 58.95 g/l obtained by Konlan et al. (Citation2012). Total protein, which embodies albumin and globulin, has been reported by Sam et al. (Citation2019) to be a strong index that shows how healthy farm animals are. The high total protein values recorded were probably part of the reason why the goats were healthy throughout the study without any mortality. The total protein content of blood serum is also an indirect index for assessing the adequacy of dietary protein (Oboh et al. Citation2011). In this regard, the normal total protein values observed in this study could be attributed to correct balancing of ingredients in the diets imposed as reported by Okoruwa and Ikhimioya (Citation2014).
Values obtained for albumin also increased linearly with increase in levels of probiotics and concentrate supplementation. All values were within the range of 27–39 g/l reported by Latimer (Citation2011). Higher albumin contents are desirable since it has been reported as a key factor that prevents haemorrhage by Dairo (Citation2005). Even though globulin contents remained unaffected by treatment effects, the current values (41.37–46.32 g/l) were higher than the 39.22 g/l reported by Latimer (Citation2011). For total cholesterol, the significant (P < 0.05) interaction observed between probiotics and concentrate was due to probiotic supplementation. Total cholesterol content declined with increase in levels of probiotics and concentrate. Total cholesterol decreased from 2.18 mmol/l in treatment P0C500 to 2.03 mmol/l in treatment P100C1000. This trend was attributed to probiotic supplementation which acted to lower the total cholesterol content of the blood. It is noteworthy that all total cholesterol contents were lower than the 3.71 mmol/l and 4.44–7.2 mmol/l reported by Waziri et al. (Citation2010) and Latimer (Citation2011) respectively. Low serum cholesterol levels are desirable as they help in the treatment of arteriosclerosis and other cardiovascular disorders associated with hypercholestrosis according to Okoruwa and Ikhimioya (Citation2014).
Conclusions
Based on the results of the chemical composition of Brachiaria decumbens and its acceptability, the study concludes that the grass is suitable for intensive goat production in the country. More importantly, it meets the minimum crude protein level of 70 g/kg required for voluntary intake in ruminants. The study further suggests that to maximize utilization of grass basal diets and achieve a high level of productivity, Brachiaria decumbens (even though a good resource) needs to be supplemented adequately with concentrate and probiotics. Supplementation of Brachiaria decumbens with probiotics and concentrates increased total weight gain, average daily gain, total feed intake, feed conversion ratio and growth rate. The study also showed that supplementing probiotics and concentrates did not exert any negative impact on blood haematology and biochemistry or physiology of the goats. As a final point, the study also established 1000 g of concentrate per day as the optimal rate of concentrate supplementation in growing does.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
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