Abstract
The study was conducted to evaluate the effects of feeding varying levels of Ficus sycomorus leaf forages as protein supplements to a basal diet of urea treated maize stover. Four Yankasa goats averaging one year and weighing 11.7 +/- 1.8 kg were used to measure the feed intake, digestibility and nitrogen balance. The basal diet (urea treated maize stover) was supplemented with 0 (T1), 50 (T2), 100 (T3) or and 150 (T4) g of fresh F. sycomorus leaves. The intake of the basal diet was significantly (P< 0.05) affected by supplementation with browse foliage. T3 had significantly P< 0.05 higher maize stover intake. Significant (P< 0.05) increase in total dry matter intake, was observed, with T4 being highest. Dry matter digestibility DMD was significantly (P< 0.05) increased with supplementation. T3 and T4 were significantly higher and statistically similar (87.09 and 83.83), followed by T2 (75.82) and least T1 (71.82). Supplementation significantly (P< 0.05) increased nitrogen retention, with an increase in the level of supplementation observed in this order 9.93, 15.46, 21.62, and 25.01 g/d for T1, T2, T3 and T4, respectively. Evaluation of Nitrogen retention as a percentage of intake followed a similar pattern. F. sycomorus has potential as a protein supplement and could be offered at 100g/day in growing goats fed urea treated low quality basal diets.