Performance evaluation of cassava hay based complete pelleted ration on growing malabari kids

The growth performance evaluation of cassava leaf along with an agro industrial byproduct, tea waste fed as complete pelleted ration, was carried out for four months, on 3 month old Malabari kids in comparison with kids fed on an isocaloric and isonitrogenous pelleted ration made of guinea grass, as control. The ground cassava leaves and Tea waste (45: 15) were mixed with other ingredients and pelleted. The average weight gain, dry matter intake and feed and protein conversion efficiencies in the experimental ration per day were 59.38±0.004g, 554.0±63.53g, 9.15±0.78 and 1.5965±0.208 respectively compared to 62.77±0.004g, 569.07±67.5g, 9.09±1.19 and1.5232±0.192 with the control ration. The digestibility values of DM, CP, EE, CF, NFE, NDF, ADF in the experimental ration were 60.72±0.5%, 59.9±0.78%, 77.53±0.28%, 43.01±2.49%, 74.19±0.86%, 24.24±1.184% and 37.62±2.5% respectively and differed significantly (P<0.001) with the control ration having the respective digestibility of 67.04±0.59%, 65.26±1.50%, 86.48±0.45%, 36.6±1.71%, 81.15±1.07%, 55.31±1.853% and 46.23±3.63%. The balance of nutrients also differed significantly (P<0.001) and the balance of nitrogen, calcium and phosphorus in the experimental ration were 47.26±0.9, 52.57±4.36 and 44.0±1.76 and in control ration were 53.03±0.66, 54.17±4.65 and 46.65±0.01 respectively. The serum calcium and phosphorus levels were normal in the kids fed on two rations. It is concluded that tapioca leaves and tea waste (45: 15) could be incorporated in the ration of growing kids when fed as pelleted complete ration.