ABSTRACT
Two feeding trials were conducted to investigate the growth and
physiological response of sheep fed forage with and without supplementary
bambara nut waste or brewers spent grain. First trial (Experiment I) assesed
the effects of dry season supplementation of bambara nut waste or dry
brewers spent grain on growth performance and blood metabolites (blood
plasma ammonia and blood plasma urea) of West African dwarf sheep,
while the Experiment 2 investigated the digestibility coefficients of
bambara nut waste and dry brewers spent grain. In experiment 1, nine sheep
(six females and three males) were randomly divided into three treatment
groups at three sheep per treatment with one sheep serving as a replicate.
The first group (control) was allowed to graze only. They were herded out at
08:00hours and brought back at 5:00hours. The second and third groups
were given 500g of dry brewers spent grain or bambara nut waste at
8;00hours and at 11:00 hours,, thereafter they grazed for the rest of the day.
Feed intake and body weights of the animals were recorded. The animals
were allowed a pre-experimental period of 3weeks while the feeding trial
itself lasted for ten weeks (December " February).