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Asian Journal of Animal Sciences

Year: 2015 | Volume: 9 | Issue: 3 | Page No.: 110-118
DOI: 10.3923/ajas.2015.110.118
Effect of Substitution of Date Pits in Concentrate Feed on Growth Performance and Nutrients Digestibility of Ardi Goats
S.B. Al- Suwaiegh

Abstract: In Saudi Arabia, goats are one of the major sources of milk and meat. Goats are very tough animal that can survive under harsh environmental conditions. The main aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of substituting four levels (0, 10, 15 and 20%) of date pits with concentrate feed on nutrients digestibility and growth performance of Ardi goats. Twenty goats were randomly selected and distributed into four treatment groups with each group of 5 goats. Goats fed 60% alfalfa hay and 40% concentrate feed containing either 0, 10, 15 or 20% date pits. There were no significant difference among all the dietary treatments on Dry Matter Intake (DMI) and nutrient intakes. The Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR) and daily gain weight were significantly higher in goats fed on a concentrate feed containing 0 and 20% date pits than those fed on a diet containing 10% date pits while no significant difference was observed in goats fed on a diet containing 15% date pits. The digestibility coefficients of Dry Matter (DM), Organic Matter (OM), Crude Protein (CP) and Neutral Detergent Fiber (NDF) were significantly (p≤0.05) higher in goats fed on a concentrate feed containing 0 and 20% than those fed with feed containing 10 and 15% date pits. In conclusion, replacing date pits up to 20% of concentrate feed in Ardi goat diets did not show adverse effects on nutrients digestibility and animal growth performance.

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How to cite this article
S.B. Al- Suwaiegh , 2015. Effect of Substitution of Date Pits in Concentrate Feed on Growth Performance and Nutrients Digestibility of Ardi Goats. Asian Journal of Animal Sciences, 9: 110-118.

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