Effect of Creep Feed Formulated with Palm Kernel Cake and Tropical Forages on Growth Performance of Boer Crossbred Kids

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine the potential of creep feed formulated with agro-industrial byproducts from the palm oil and rice industries as corn replacers, as well as tropic forages like dwarf Napier grass and Trichanthera gigantea for pre-weaning Boer crossbred kids. Proximate analyses were conducted on the feed ingredients and the newly formulated feed before the feeding trial. Twelve (n=12), single-born Boer x Jamnapari crossbred kids, with an average birth weight of 3.25 kg and body condition scoring of 3 to 3.5 were randomly divided into two dietary treatment groups (n=6 per group), each containing 3 males and 3 females. In the first treatment (T1) group, all the kids received only dam’s milk from day 1 to day 90 of age, whereas for the second treatment (T2) group, the kids were given formulated creep feed from 14 days old until 90 days old, in addition to the regular suckling. The body weight and daily creep feed intake were calculated to obtain the average daily gain (ADG) and feed conversion ratio (FCR). The result showed that the male kids in the T2 groups showed significantly (P<0.05) higher total weight gain (14.50 vs. 11.33 kg) and final weight (19.67 vs. 13.67 kg) at day 90 compared to the full suckling male kids, respectively. Similarly, the female kids in T2 group compared to T1 group showed significantly (P<0.05) higher total weight gain (10.17 vs. 7.5 kg) and final weight (15.83 vs. 13.17 kg) at day 90, respectively. The feed conversion ratios for male and female kids of T2 groups were 1.66 and 1.79, respectively with no significant difference (P≥0.05). It is concluded that supplementation of the newly formulated creep feed from 14 days old to the weaning stage enhances the growth performance of Boer cross-bred kids.