GROWTH PERFORMANCE OF YANKASA RAMS FED GRADED LEVELS OF FAIDHERBIA ALBIDA FRUIT IN THE SEMI-ARID ZONE OF BORNO STATE

This study evaluated the growth performance of Yankasa rams fed graded levels of Faidherbia albida pod meal in the semi-arid zone of Borno State. The experiment was conducted at the Livestock Teaching and Research Farm, Ramat Polytechnic, Maiduguri. Twenty (20) Yankasa rams were randomly assigned to five dietary treatments (T1–T5), with inclusion levels of Faidherbia albida pod meal at 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20%, respectively. The animals were housed individually, treated against ectoparasites using ivermectin, and dewormed with albendazole. Results showed that T5 had the highest values in dry matter, crude protein, ash, nitrogen-free extract, and metabolizable energy. Feed intake values for T1–T5 were 70.23, 75.30, 74.48, 74.00, and 67.80, respectively, while weight gains were 7.00, 6.25, 6.50, 10.00, and 7.25 kg. The findings indicated that rams in T5 exhibited better feed conversion efficiency compared to other treatments. Inclusion of Faidherbia albida at 20% had no adverse effects on the animals. The study further revealed that inclusion up to 10% improved feed intake due to good palatability and absence of toxicity. It was concluded that Faidherbia albida pod meal has strong potential as a feed resource for ruminants. The study recommends inclusion levels of 10–20% for optimal performance, while further research is suggested on its use with other crop residues.