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Acta Prataculturae Sinica ›› 2021, Vol. 30 ›› Issue (5): 146-154.DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2020217

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Effects of peanut vine and alfalfa meal on weight gain performance, internal organ development, and blood indexes of Boer×Macheng crossbred goats

Xiao-jun SUO1,2(), Nian ZHANG1, Qian-ping YANG1, Hu TAO1, Qi XIONG1, Xiao-feng LI1, Feng ZHANG1, Ming-xin CHEN1()   

  1. 1.Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine,Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences,Wuhan 430064,China
    2.Key Laboratory of Animal Embryonic Engineering and Molecular Breeding in Hubei Province,Wuhan 430064,China
  • Received:2020-05-13 Revised:2020-06-08 Online:2021-05-20 Published:2021-04-16
  • Contact: Ming-xin CHEN

Abstract:

The aim of this study was determine the effects of peanut vine and alfalfa meal on the growth performance, internal organ development, and blood indexes of Boer×Macheng crossbred goats. Thirty healthy castrated Boer (♂)×Macheng black (♀) goats [(21.40±1.15) kg, 4.5-5.0 months of age] were randomly assigned to three groups, with 10 goats per group. Goats in the three groups were fed peanut vine, peanut vine+alfalfa meal, and alfalfa as roughage, respectively. Total mixed rations were used, and the nutritional levels of the diets in each group were basically the same. The experiment consisted of a 10-day pre-trial period and a 60-day trial period. The body weight of goats was measured at the beginning and end of the trial. The animals were slaughtered and blood was collected at the end of the experiment. The main results were as follows: the body weight before slaughter and carcass weight were significantly higher in the peanut vine+alfalfa meal and alfalfa groups than in the peanut vine group (P<0.05); the average daily gain and dressing percentage were significantly higher in the peanut vine+alfalfa meal and alfalfa groups than in the peanut vine group (P<0.01); the feed gain ratio was significantly lower in the peanut vine+alfalfa meal and alfalfa groups than in the peanut vine group (P<0.01). There was no significant difference in dry matter intake among three groups. However, the rumen weight was significantly higher in the peanut vine+alfalfa meal group and the alfalfa group than in the peanut vine group (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in organ weight and proportion of LWBS among the three groups (P>0.05). The blood indexes of goats in each group were in the normal range. The serum albumin and blood glucose concentrations were significantly higher in the peanut vine+alfalfa meal group and alfalfa group than in the peanut vine group (P<0.05). The urea nitrogen concentration was significantly lower in the peanut vine+alfalfa meal group and alfalfa group than in the peanut vine group (P<0.05). The average cost per kilogram of weight gain was lower in the peanut vine+alfalfa meal group than in the peanut vine group and alfalfa group. These results show that the combination of peanut vine+alfalfa meal is better than feeding either component singly.

Key words: peanut vine, alfalfa meal, growth performance, slaughter performance, blood indexes, economic benefit