The Effect of Providing Mixed Feed Consisted of Dwarf Napier Grass and Indigofera zollingeriana Pruned at Different Ages on Feed Consumption of Kacang Goat
Indrawirawan1,, Asmuddin Natsir1, Marhamah Nadir1, a), and Andi Ricky Wahyudi2

1Department of Animal Feed and Nutrition, Faculty of Animal Science, Hasanuddin University, Makassar
2Undergraduate Student of Faculty of Animal Science, Hasanuddin University, Makassar

a) Corresponding author: marhamahnadir[at]gmail.com

Abstract

One factor that has determined the quality of forage as ruminant feed is the pruning age of the plant. Different pruning ages have affected the quality of forage, which has impacted the productivity of animals that have consumed the feed. This study aims to determine the effect of feeding a mixture of dwarf Napier grass and Indigofera zollingeriana pruning at different ages on the feed consumption of Kacang goats. Ten Kacang goats were randomly divided into two treatment groups, with five goats in each group. The first group (T1) was fed a mixture of dwarf Napier grass and Indigofera zollingeriana and was pruned at 40 days. The second group (T2) was fed a mixture of dwarf Napier grass and Indigofera zollingeriana and was pruned at 60 days. The observed variables included dry matter consumption, organic matter consumption, percentage of feed consumption per body weight, and ash consumption. The results showed that the treatment did not have a significant effect (P>0.05) on all Kacang goat feed consumption variables. The research concluded that feeding a combination of dwarf Napier grass and Indigofera zollingeriana, either pruned for 40 or 60 days, did not significantly affect feed consumption by Kacang goats. Two different pruning ages are applicable for combining Indigofera zollingeriana with other forages for Kacang goats.

Keywords: dwarf Napier grass, feed consumption, Indigofera zollingeriana, Kacang goat, pruning

Topic: Animal Nutrition and Feed Technology