ABSTRACT Feed shortage, especially during dry seasons, is a critical threat to livestock production in Namibia. Innovative feed production from encroacher bush species has the benefits of increasing fodder availability and controlling bush encroachment. Bush-based feed is characterized by high fibre and low protein content which makes it less palatable and digestible to livestock; hence often requires supplementation with commercial feed ingredients which increase bush feed production costs...
ABSTRACT This study was undertaken to determine the performance and meat sensory attributes of broiler chickens fed with Pearl Millet (Pennisetumg laucum) as a replacement for maize, as well as the potential of tanniferous Acacia karroo (A. karroo) leaf meal as an additive on broiler leanness. The optimum level at which maize can be replaced by pearl millet was also determined. Nutritional compositions of pearl millet and A. karroo leaf meal were determined using the standard Association of...
ABSTRACT: The anti-inflammatory and analgesic effect of the methanolic extract of Stellaria media (L.) Vill leaf was studied using albumen-induced paw oedema and formalin-induced paw lick in rats as the anti-inflammatory test models; acetic acid-induced writhing, hot plate and tail flick tests in mice as the analgesic models. Three groups of five rats or mice each were administered orally with the leaf extract of S. media at 100mg/kg, 300mg/kg or 500mg/kg body weight respectively. A fourth gr...
ABSTRACT The study was carried out at Spes Bona 207 farm in Hochfeld district, and Neudamm 63 farm in the Khomas Hochland district, Highland savanna in Namibia. The objective of this study was to investigate the rehabilitative effects of mechanical and chemical methods of bush control of an invasive bush species Acacia mellifera for achieving long term rehabilitation of degraded highland savanna rangelands in Namibia. At farm Spes Bona, three belt transects (50 x 5m2 ) were laid in chemical ...
ABSTRACT This study aimed at assessing the impacts of chemical de-bushing on herbaceous plants and ground-dwelling invertebrates at Neudamm farm. Three experimental sites (camp’s 5, 6 and 7) treated in 2015, 2016 and 2017 respectively with a general purpose arboricide were selected alongside one (camp 4) untreated site. Pitfall traps were placed under 15 Senegalia mellifera trees which were strategically selected in each site. Three quadrates, two placed contiguous under the canopy and one...
ABSTRACT This study evaluated the effects of pelleting and replacing maize with pearl millet (PM) cultivar (Okashana 2) on the production performance and cost efficiency of broilers. The experimental design used in this study was a Completely Randomized Design with a 2 x 3 factorial arrangement of treatments (i.e. two processing methods (grinding and pelleting) and three replacement levels (50%, 75% and 100%). A commercial finisher pelleted diet was used as a positive control. The first expe...
ABSTRACT The objectives of this study were to quantify and characterize the nutritional content of milled Senegalia mellifera milled biomass obtained from nine blocks at Neudamm farm and to determine the dry matter intake (DMI), apparent digestibility and nitrogen retention in female Boer goats fed with Senegalia mellifera bush based feeds. Wood ash (WA), Polyethylene glycol (PEG, 6 000) and Biochar were evaluated as tannin deactivation methods. The milled biomass of S. mellifera was mixed u...
ABSTRACT ■3 W The performance, nutrient digestibility and carcass characteristics of rabbits fed dehydrated sweet potato tops and sweet potato root meal in proportions of 100 : 0. 90 : 10, 80 : 20. 70 : 30, 60 : *40 and 50 : 50 were investigated. There was no significant difference (P>0.05) in daily feed intake. However, rabbits fed diets in proportion of 80 : 20 (T.) recorded the highest daily weight gain and was significantly different (P0.05) was reported for the apparent digestibility o...
ABSTRACT The objective of the study was to screen indigenous forage legumes found in central Namibia and evaluate their potential as fodder and protein source for livestock. The growth rate, biomass yield and nutritional value of four indigenous legumes (Otoptera burchellii, Vigna lobatifolia, Crotalaria argyraea and Cullen tomentosum) and four improved legumes (Lablab purpureus, Medicago sativa, Canavalia ensiformis and Vigna unguiculata) were evaluated in a split-plot design with Single su...
ABSTRACT This study was conducted in the Sibbinda constituency of Zambezi region in Namibia to determine and contrast the nutritional values of available browsable plants and to recommend and promote the use of these browsable plants and plant parts as cattle feed supplements during dry seasons. In depth focus group discussions and interviews were conducted to glean indigenous knowledge on how cattle utilize the browse in- situ. A total of 200 households from the Sibbinda constituency were i...
Abstract A case study assessment of rangeland condition and evaluation of the nutritional value of common grass and browse species at the Neudamm experimental farm was done from January to September 2011. The study objectives were to determine the botanical composition of grass and browse species, evaluate the nutritive values of common grass and browse species, determine rangeland condition among three camps under different management practices at the Neudamm experimental farm of the Univer...
ABSTRACT A research involving six cattle herds was carried out to determine the effect of season: intermediate, peak rains and dry seasons, on characteristics of grazing lands and grazing behaviour within peri-urban areas of three selected districts, namely: Tamale Metropolis, Savelugu Municipality and Sagnarigu District in the Northen Region of Ghana. The effect of management style, that is, Fulani and Non –Fulani management styles on grazing behaviour of cattle was also investigated. T...
Significant effort has been put into the development of cost-effective abalone cultivation systems in South Africa, but the limited availability of suitable seaweed for abalone food is an obstacle to future development. The aim of this study was to investigate whether land-based integrated aquaculture (tank cultivation) and seaweed culture using Ulva lactuca in aquaculture effluent was feasible. This study was carried out at two abalone farms: Danger Point (I & J) (140 km east of Cape Town) a...
ABSTRACT The objectives of this research were to determine the chemical composition, palatability, voluntary feed intake (VFI) and effects on body weights of Boer goats fed native forage legumes compared to lucerne and lablab. In experiment 1, the chemical composition of 14 legumes was determined. In experiment 2, the palatability of Crotalaria argyraea, C. podocarpa, Otoptera burchellii and Vigna lobatifolia was determined relative to Lucerne in a cafeteria feeding system over a 10-day peri...
Abstract Sixty “day old” broiler chickens were used to evaluate the growth performance, haematological parameters, organ characteristics and meat quality of broiler birds fed, pawpaw leaf meal (PLM). The birds were divided into four treatments with three replicates per treatment. Each replicate contained five birds. Broiler finisher rations were formulated in which PLM was incorporated at levels of 0%, 0.5%, 1.5%, and 2.0% in the control (T1), T2, T3 and T4 diets respectively. The diets ...