Substituting sunflower seed-cake with Moringa oleifera leaves as a supplemental goat feed in Tanzania

Scarcity of animal feed resources, particularly during the dry season, is a major constraint to livestock production in the tropics. Animal feed supplement such as sunflower seed cake (SSC) are too expensive for most farmers. Therefore, alternative resources need to be investigated. Moringa oleifera Lam (Moringaceae) is a multipurpose tree, the leaves of which are used as animal feed in many places; but its potential as an animal feed supplement has not been documented. The effect of substituting SSC with different levels of M. oleifera (MOOL) on dry matter intake (DMI), dry matter digestibility (DMD) and growth performance of small, East African goats fed low-quality Chloris gayana hay was investigated in Morogoro-Tanzania. The supplementary treatments were different levels of MOOL, so that the proportions of MOOL to SSC were 0:100, 25:75, 75:25 and 100:0. All animals were fed with low-quality Chloris gayana hay as a basal ration. After a preliminary feeding period of 14 days, DMI data were collected for 21 days. Restricted feeding, and collection of urine and faecal samples for analysis were carried within 7 days of the preliminary period and 14 days of data collection. A significantly higher DMI and metabolisable energy intake (MEI) were observed at 75 and 100% MOOL supplementary levels. Increased replacement levels of SSC with MOOL increased the digestibility of DM (dry matter) and NDF (neutral detergent fibre). Goats fed 25 MOOL (T2) had significantly higher nitrogen retention than goats in the other treatments. The treatments were not different in terms of effect on the growth rates of the goats. The results suggest that MOOL could be used as a substitute for SSC, the conventional supplemental feed.