Intake and Digestibility of Rhodes Grass (Chloris Gayana) Hay Treated with Graded Levels of Concentration of Banana Leaf Ash Solution in Local Goats

This study assessed intake and digestibility of Rhodes grass (Chloris Gayana) hay treated with varying concentrations of banana leaf ash solutions in local growing goats. Four goats weighing 14.9±0.2 kg on average, in individual metabolic cages, were assigned to hay treated with 0, 20, 30, or 40g ash/L solution as a sole diet in a 4 x 4 Latin square design. The experimental period consisted of 7 days of adaptation and 5 days of sampling of feces, urine, and orts. Intake of hay and its dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF), and their digestibility in the tract were evaluated using total fecal collection method. Increasing concentration of banana ash solution to treat hay concomitantly decreased (p < 0.05) its ADF and NDF content. However, this did not affect (p > 0.05) the hay and DM intake by the goats, but enhanced (p < 0.05) intake and digestibility of CP, CF, ADF, and NDF. Highest intake and digestibility of these nutrients was observed when the hay was treated with 40g ash/L solution. Thus, treating hay with 0, 20, 30, or 40g ash/L solution concomitantly improved its feeding value in goats, and optimal intake and digestibility was when the hay was treated with a 40g ash/L solution.