Effects of supplementing a basal diet of Chloris gayana hay with protein-rich forage legume hays on chevon quality of Xhosa goats

Abstract

The study aimed to determine the effect of supplementing a basal diet of Chloris gayana hay with protein-rich legume hays on the chevon quality of Xhosa goats. Eighteen goats, 12 months with an average weight of 14.2 ± 0.24 kg were used in a complete randomised design with diet as a fixed factor and animal nested in the treatment diet. Goats were randomly apportioned to three dietary treatments of Katambora: Vigna (KV – 1:4), salt (0.5 %), molasses (3 %), maize (5 %) and mineral vitamin premix (1.5 %); pellets (P); 90 % lamb and ewe pellet plus 10 % Katambora grass hay; and Katambora: Lablab (KL- 1:4); salt (0.5 %), molasses (2 %) maize (5 %) and mineral vitamin premix (1.5 %). Treatment two (P) was the positive control diet. The results showed that goats produce lean carcasses of acceptable conformation and fat cover. The treatment diets did not affect slaughter body weight (SBW), hot carcass weight (HCW) and cold dressed mass (CDM) of carcasses. The dietary treatments had a significant effect on dressing out percent, initial pH (p = 0.028), redness (a*) (p = 0.014), Warner Blartze Shear force (WBS) (p = 0.0351), drip loss (p = 0.004) and cooking loss (p = 0.007). The a* values and drip loss values were; 11.05, 10.11, 10.35 and 6.08, 6.67, 6.17 % for KV, P, and KL respectively. Lablab and cowpea had positive effects on the carcass traits of Xhosa goats.