ABSTRACT This study was conducted to assess the effect of replacing soybean meal in concentrate with dried rumen digesta (DRD) on digestibility and growth performance of Djallonké sheep. Sixteen (16) Djallonké rams with an initial average body weight of 12.4±2.4kg of 10-12 months old were randomly assigned to four treatment diets and replicated four times over a 63 day period in a completely randomized design (CRD). The treatments were T0 (0% DRD), T1 (4% DRD), T2 (8% DRD) and T3 (12% DRD...
ABSTRACT Infectious diseases of livestock are difficult to control in Africa due partly to lack of vaccines. In the absence of these vaccines, livestock production in endemic regions is constrained by the need for repeated acaricide use and/or the loss of opportunity to genetically improve the productivity of the indigenous breeds. Indigenous cattle have innate resistance to majority of diseases but are of low productivity. There is evidence that resistance to severe disease and death upon in...
ABSTRACT This study was conducted to determine the effect of feed supplementation during the postpartum period on the growth and reproductive performance of 40 grazing Sanga and Friesian x Sanga cows in the coastal savannah zone of Ghana. Twenty out of the total of 40 cows (10 Sanga and 10 Friesian x Sanga crossbred cows) were supplemented with 2.5 kg of concentrate per day during the period of study. All cows were weighed weekly and scored for body condition once every week using the 9-point...
ABSTRACT Two experiments were conducted concurrently to determine the effects of charcoal incorporation at 3 and 6% in diets containing 5%sun-dried false yam tuber meal (SDFYTM) and 15%soaked false yam tuber meal (SFYTM) on growth performance and carcass characteristics of broiler chickens, and a digestibility trial to determine nutrient digestibility of the experimental diets. False yam tubers were peeled, diced with some sun-dried and milled for a feeding trial in Experiment 1. The other d...
SUMMARY Detection of Toxoplasma gondii infection by the direct demonstration of parasites is difficult due to the intracellular development of the organism, whilst the tissue culture technique is cumbersome and slow. Several workers have, therefore, relied on the demonstration of specific anti-f. gondii antibodies in serum and body fluids of both human and animal populations to obtain epidemiological data on toxoplasmosis. The applicability of this approach is based on the ability to differen...
ABSTRACT This study was carried out to investigate the effect of different marinades on the quality characteristics of chevon jerky. Chevon (Hindquarter muscle) was treated with marinades containing different levels of vinegar (0, 2.5% or 5% v/v) and papain (0, 0.004g/0.04gw/v). A 3x3 factorial design which composed of nine treatments with three replicates was used. Chevon was cut into 1.5cm x 1.5cm cubes and samples were marinated for 12h and dried in an oven for 10h at a temperature of 65o...
ABSTRACT The excessive use of artificial additives and preservatives in meat products is receiving a lot of mixed feelings from consumers for health reasons. This study was conducted with the aim of finding out the effects of basil leaf and fermented dawadawa seed powders on the sensory, nutritional and microbial qualities of beef and frankfurter sausages. The experiment involved the use of dawadawa and basil leave powders at 4, 6 and 8g/kg meat in place of adobo® a commercial spice in both...
ABSTRACT This study aimed at characterizing the phenotypic, morphology and production performance of the domestic pigeon resources of the Northern region and also, looking at the socio-economic characteristics of pigeon production systems in Northern region of Ghana. Ninety (90) pigeon farmers were sampled from nine (9) districts, ten (10) farmers from each of the districts using snowball sampling method. Pigeon farmers were interviewed using a semi-structured interview and questionnaire on ...
ABSTRACT This study was conducted to determine the nutritional composition of “niri” (Citrullus vulgaris) seeds and its effect as an extender in beef sausages. The nutritional composition of whole “niri” seed, its purees (raw and roasted) and Chaffs (raw and chaffs) were determined using standard procedures. The purees and chaffs were used as extenders at 0, 5, 15 and 25 % inclusion levels in beef sausages. Sensory analyses were conducted using the British Standard procedures on days...
ABSTRACT The high cost of sausage production coupled with the need to impede rancidity without the use of artificial ingredients is a major concern. Of all the various processed meats, sausage is the most appetizing and widely consumed. This study investigated the effects of three varieties of sweet potatoe: orange, purple and white-fleshed sweet potato purees on the sensory, nutritional and oxidation rate of beef and frankfurter sausages. A complete randomized design was used for the experi...
ABSTRACT African swine fever (ASF) is a highly contagious viral disease that affect domestic pigs and it is characterized by fever, blotching of skin, and haemorrhage of the lymph nodes, internal organs and the gastrointestinal tract. The prevention and cure of ASF will depend on management practices by farmers, observance of biosecurity measures, the immune system of the pig, and the control of secondary infections. This study was therefore, carried out to determine the knowledge and manage...
ABSTRACT The potential benefits of local chickens to the rural economy is compromised annually by regular outbreaks of Newcastle Disease (ND). Every year over 80% of the local chicken population is lost to ND, depriving the rural people of the much needed protein and income from chicken. In an effort to reduce the effect of Newcastle Disease on local chicken production, this study was conducted to determine if there is variation in the genetic resistance to NDV in three local chicken ecotype...
ABSTRACT Relative performance of breed groups, additive and heterotic effects on milk production, reproduction and calf growth traits in Jersey x West African Shorthorn (WAS) and Jersey x Sokoto Gudali (GUD) crossbred cattle were studied using sixteen years field records kept at the Agricultural Research Station, Legon. The genotypes consisted of WAS; 1/2 Jersey, 1/2 WAS (WAS Fj); 3/4 Jersey, 1/4 WAS (WAS Be); GUD; 1/2 Jersey, 1/2 GUD (GUD Fj) ; 3/4 Jersey, 1/4 GUD (GUD Be). Milk production t...
ABSTRACT An experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of plasma concentrations of the metabolic hormones [Growth hormone (GH), insulin and insulin-like growth factor –I (IGFI)] and nutritional metabolites (glucose, cholesterol, total protein, albumin, globulin, urea and creatinine) on the resumption of postpartum ovarian activity in sixteen Friesian-Sanga crossbred cows at the Animal Research Institute’s Frafraha station. Also, correlation among the metabolic hormones and the nut...
ABSTRACT In Ghana, the local chicken and commercial cohorts are managed under different production systems that appear to expose local chicken usually raised under the extensive system, to higher risk of infectious diseases as compared to the exotic cohorts that are raised in confinement. The key question is, will raising these birds under identical conditions result in corresponding reduction in the prevalence of Salmonella infection in the local chicken to levels prevailing in the exotic ch...