Validation of Metabolisable Protein and Energy Systems to Predict the Productivity of Meat Goats Fed Tropical Grass, Legumes and Protein Supplements
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ResearchOnline@JCU This file is part of the following work: Aoetpah, Aholiab (2019) Validation of metabolisable protein and energy systems to predict the productivity of meat goats fed tropical grass, legumes and protein supplements. PhD Thesis, James Cook University. Access to this file is available from: https://doi.org/10.25903/5da500a720455 Copyright © 2019 Aholiab Aoetpah. The author has certified to JCU that they have made a reasonable effort to gain permission and acknowledge the owners of any third party copyright material included in this document. If you believe that this is not the case, please email [email protected] Validation of metabolisable protein and energy systems to predict the productivity of meat goats fed tropical grass, legumes and protein supplements Aholiab Aoetpah, Master of Rural Science March 2019 Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (MHMS) (Res) in the College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences James Cook University, Townsville, Australia Declaration I declare that this thesis is my own work and has not been submitted in any form for another degree or diploma at any university or other institution of tertiary education. All information derived from the published or unpublished work of others has been acknowledged in the text and a list of references is given. Aholiab Aoetpah 19th March 2019 ii Statement of Access I, the undersigned, the author of this work, understand that James Cook University will make this thesis available for use within the University Library and, via the Australian Digital Thesis network, for use elsewhere. I understand that, as an unpublished work, a thesis has significant protection under the Copyright Act and I do not wish to place any further restriction on access to this work. Aholiab Aoetpah 19th March 2019 iii Electronic Copy I, the undersigned, the author of this work, declare that the electronic copy of this thesis provided to the James Cook University Library is an accurate copy of the print thesis submitted, within the limits of the technology available. Aholiab Aoetpah 19th March 2019 iv Declaration on Ethics The research presented and reported in this thesis was conducted within the guidelines for research ethics outlined in the National Statement on Ethics Conduct in Research Involving Humans (1999), the Joint NHMRC/AVCC Statement and Guidelines on Research Practice (1997), the James Cook University Policy on Experimentation Ethics; Standard Practices and Guidelines (2001), and the James Cook University Statement and Guidelines on Research Practice (2001). The proposed research methodology received clearance from Animal Ethics Committee (A2085, A2122, and A2130) from the James Cook University. Aholiab Aoetpah 19th March 2019 v Statement of the Contribution of Others I, the undersigned, the author of this thesis, would like to recognise that the completion of this thesis included: Statistical advice and data analysis for my experimental studies from Distinguished Professor Rhonda Jones of James Cook University Proofreading of my English from Kellie Jones and Associate Professor Elizabeth Tynan of James Cook University. Formatting done by Katharine Fowler. Aholiab Aoetpah 19th March 2019 vi Acknowledgements The scientific work in this thesis was conducted while the writer was a PhD candidate with the Nutrition group of the College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences at James Cook University, Townsville, Australia. I am in debt to my Primary Advisor, Dr Glen Walker, who dedicated his time to supervise my study, and also assisted with sample analysis in the laboratory, data collection in the animal houses, provision of funding for this project and provided invaluable advice to me. I am also indebted to my Secondary Advisor, Associate Professor Anthony Parker, not only for his supervisory assistance, but also for his administrative assistance allowing me to study in Australia. Credit also goes to Professor Bruce Gummow, Mr Christopher Gardiner and Associate Professor Aduli Malau-Aduli for their availability as my Advisor Mentors and co- supervisors. Dr Constantin’s supervision of kids’ health conditions is also acknowledged. Rob, Nigel, Jeff, Scot, Josephine Penny, Virginia, Dr Elizabeth Parker and students from both JCU and France whose help in managing the experimental goats, are also greatly appreciated. English tutorials, library services, administrative support, computer services and all other support services from James Cook University were very helpful during my PhD candidacy. I would also like to thank the Australian Government whose generosity, through the Australian Award Scholarship (AAS), permitted me to undertake my PhD research at James Cook University. I am grateful for the financial support from the JCU DBA for this project and also in allowing me to attend conferences to disseminate my work. Finally, I would like to thank my family for their unending psychological support, without which I would not have been able to complete my study, and for their unending patience while awaiting my return home. vii Abstract Tropical pastures are dominated by tropical or C4 grasses, which supply most of the forage material for grazing meat goats. In the typically long dry season of Northern Australia and West Timor, Indonesia, these grasses contain crude protein (CP) of 20 to 100 g/kg DM. This is equivalent to metabolisable protein (MP) content of 10.5 to 60.9 g/kg DM and metabolisable energy (ME) of 6.2 to 9.1 MJ/kgDM. These cannot meet the goats’ requirements for MP and ME as recommended by the National Research Council (NRC) 2007. These nutritional issues cause low productivity in periparturient does for breeding and in weaner kids raised for red meat production. A feeding strategy aimed at increasing the productivity of goats fed tropical grass hay was to provide protein supplements to meet the ammonia requirements for rumen microbes with the minimum requirement 20 to 50 mg N/litre (Nolan, 1981) and true protein for the animals. Four general objectives were defined for this thesis: To meet the nutrient requirements of periparturient and lactating does and weaner kids for both rumen degradable and undegradable protein (RDP and UDP), from which metabolisable protein (MP) was derived. To categorise diets based on the relative and total estimated amounts of RDP, UDP, MP as well as metabolisable energy (ME) based on organic matter digestibility. To validate the NRC (2007) methodologies for the prediction of dry matter intake (DMI) and average daily gain (ADG) of weaner kids fed tropical forages using intakes of these protein fractions and ME. To recommend supplementation strategies that incorporate the RDP and UDP supplied by diets to improve growth and carcass yields of meat goats in the tropics, especially in East Nusa Tenggara (West Timor), Indonesia. Four experiments were conducted and each experiment became one chapter of this thesis. Experiment 1 utilised twelve periparturient crossbred Boer does and their suckling kids. Each group of three animlas was offered Rhodes grass hay (RGH) as a basal diet (Control) or RGH viii supplemented with urea (Urea), urea plus cottonseed meal (Urea-CSM) and cottonseed meal (CSM). The objectives were to limit doe body weight loss, prevent ketosis and to increase the ADG of their suckling kids by varying the quantities of UDP and RDP based on the NRC (2007) recommendation. Protein supplements did not prevent doe body weight loss, but Urea- CSM and CSM supplements reduced non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) and β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) in the blood plasma. Supplements did not affect milk concentration, but increased ADG in suckling kids in the first week of the lactation period. These body weights and blood metabolites responses were associated with intakes of UDP, RDP, ME and Nitrogen retention. Experiments 2 and 3 were conducted to increase liveweight gain and carcass yield of crossbred Boer goats by varying the quantities of dietary concentrations of RDP and UDP according to NRC (2007) recommendation. In a five-treatment experimental design, the basal diet of Rhodes grass hay was supplemented with: 1. Urea (Urea), 2. Urea plus cottonseed meal (Urea-CSM), 3. Cottonseed meal (CSM), 4. Air dried Gliricidia sepium leaves (Gliricidia), and 5. Desmanthus leptophyllus dried leaves (Desmanthus) only. The dietary crude protein concentrations in Experiments 2 and 3 were 137 g/kg DM and 195 g/kg DM, respectively. Five of the 25 growing female crossbred Boer kids were allotted one diet in Experiment 2 for 120 days. The results showed that goats supplemented with Urea, Urea-CSM or Gliricidia lost weight as much as 15, 3 or 3 g/head per day, respectively.. Goats supplemented with CSM gained weight at the rate of 7 g/d and this increased to 33 g/d when the goats were fed Desmanthus hay. This liveweight gain data was not associated with MP and ME requirements suggested for temperate goats by NRC (2007). Growing at these rates, it was apparent that weaner goats would not achieve market liveweight within a reasonable timeframe. Therefore, Experiment 3 was conducted by increasing the dietary crude protein concentration to 195 g CP/kg DM. In Experiment 3, the goats were rearranged into the same five dietary treatments and raised indoors in individual pens for 130 days. Evidence from this study revealed that weaner goats fed Desmanthus grew faster at an ADG of 83 g/head per day and had heavier carcass with an ix average cold carcass weight of 12.1 kg and non-carcass components, followed by goats fed CSM, Urea-CSM, Gliricidia and Urea. Heavier carcass weight was associated with greater eye muscle area and fat depth at the 12th to 13th rib interface. The higher rate of liveweight gain, carcass and non-carcass components yields for goats fed the Desmanthus diet, compared with other treatments, was associated with increased intakes of UDP, RDP, MP and ME. High intakes, growth rate and carcass weight in the goats was more likely associated with feed digestibility and nitrogen retention.