Performance, Nutrient Intake and Digestibility of Uda Sheep with Graded Levels of Xylopia aethiopica (Ethiopian pepper)

Aims: The effect of Xylopia aethiopica (Kimba) fruit on growth performance, nutrient intake and digestibility of Uda rams was investigated using 20 yearling Uda rams in eighty four days (feeding) and fourteen days (digestibility) trials.

Methodology: The animals were fed diets containing 0%, 2.5%, 5.0% and 7.5% (0, 2.5, 5.0 and 7.5 g/kg respectively) supplemented levels of Xylopia aethiopica fruit in a completely randomized experimental design replicated five times. Data were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA), where significant difference exist least significant differences (LSD) was used to separate the means

Results: Results indicated no significant difference in all the performance parameters (p=.05) except in feed intake as % body weight (which is significantly higher (p<0.01) for animals fed 5.0% Xylopia aethiopica per 100 kg diet). Total saponins intake, total tannin intake, saponins intake (kg/day) and tannins intake (kg/day) were significant across the treatments (p<0.01). Results showed no significant difference in all nutrients intake (p=.05) except ether extract and ash (p<0.01) with higher values for animals fed diets containing 7.5% Xylopia aethiopica. The digestibility of all nutrients except ether extract were significantly higher for animals fed diets containing 0 and 2.5% levels of Xylopia aethiopica.

Conclusion: It was concluded that increasing the level of Xylopia aethiopica in the diets of Uda rams more than 2.5% (2.5 g/kg) might significantly reduce performance.