Impact of Feeding Baobab (Adansonia digitata) Seed Cake on Body Weight Change and Growth of Desert Goats

The study was conducted in Al-Newala Village, south of El-Obied town, Sheikan locality, in North Kordofan State, Sudan, to evaluate the effects of feeding Baobab (Adansonia digitata) seedcake on body weight change and growth in grazing Desert goats. Twenty-four (24) pregnant Desert does and thirty-two (32) kids were used in the experiment. The does were weighed and divided into four groups of similar initial body weight; they were randomly assigned to four supplementary feeding treatments with baobab seed cake according to a complete randomized block design. Group A served as the control (unsupplemented), Group B was supplemented with a ration containing 65% Baobab seedcake, Group C with 55% Baobab seedcake, and Group D with 45% Baobab seedcake. All does were raised on natural grazing; the three supplemented groups were receiving 300 g/doe/day. The experiment lasted for 142 days. Kids born from those groups were fed the same diets as their mothers; they received 50 -100 g/doe/day. The results revealed that supplementation had a significantly higher effect (P<0.05) on body weight before kidding, as 37.45, 36.58, and 37.65 kg for the B, C, and D groups, respectively, compared with the unsupplemented does, which were 34.33kg. Significant differences were also noticed in body weight at kidding and at weaning in supplemented does. Additionally, the results showed that the unsupplemented group experienced a significant (P < 0.05) substantial loss in body weight compared to the supplemented group with baobab seed cake, with values of 4.45, 2.30, 3.55, and 3.50 kg for groups A, B, C, and D, respectively. The results indicated that children born to supplemented groups were significantly (P < 0.05) heavier at birth than the control group (2.91 ± 0.19, 2.23 ± 0.17, and 2.64 ± 0.20 kg for groups B, C, and D, respectively, versus 1.95 ± 0.19 kg for the control). Kids from supplemented dams maintained a superior growth rate and weaning weight (P < 0.001). The weaning weights for groups B, C, and D were 9.50, 8.82, and 8.71 kg, respectively, compared to 7.98 kg for the A group. Supplementation with baobab seed cake had a significant (p < 0.01) effect on body gain, with higher daily gains observed in group B (76.19 ± 1.83 g/day) and the lowest gain in group A (60.88 ± 2.63 g/day). The effect of supplementary feeding resulted in a significant difference in pre-weaning survival and mortality rates, with higher survival observed in the supplemented groups compared to the control group, which had a significantly higher mortality rate in group A, at 37.5%. Long live group D with a survival rate of 100% to group B with 87%. In conclusion, supplementation with baobab seed cake in the diet of Sudanese Desert goats during the dry season improved body weight, birth weight, and weaning weight.