1Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria, P.M.B. 5054, Jericho, Ibadan, Nigeria
2Department of Agriculture and Animal Health, University of South Africa, Private Bag X6, Florida 1710, Johannesburg, South Africa
Department of Medical Science, Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Health Sciences, University of Limpopo, Turfloop Campus, Private Bag X 1106, Sovenga- 0727, Nigeria
*Corresponding author's e-mail: ejifun@gmail.com
Online published on 25 October, 2013.
A total of forty five West African three months old dwarf buck-kids with an average body weight of 6.25kg (5.5–7kg) were randomly assigned to five dietary treatments designated as E1 (0%), E2 (25%), E3 (50%), E4 (75%) and E5 (100%) of Uromalt (M) inclusion levels at 3% of their body weight with three replications, each having three goats for a period of three months. Echinochloa stagnina (fresh bloom) was offered as basal diet at 16.00 hours. Daily supplementation with 21.66% and 13.40, respectively, supported optimum semen volume (2.32 ml) and average sperm motility was 85.13 in WAD buck kids. These values are lower than the values of 42.53% and 23.00% required to optimize average sperm con/count and average dead sperm spermatozoa. However, a single value of 25.57 supported optimum sperm morphology and minimum sperm abnormality in WAD buck kids. The study indicate that spermatogenic process was affected by this slight detrimental percentage increase in uromalt inclusion level and could probably be attributed to high nitrogen content of the diet. It is therefore concluded that optimizing uromalt inclusion level in the diet of WAD buck kids could be helpful in enhancing their reproductive efficiency.
Average dead spermatozoa, Average sperm abnormality, Semen volume, Urea, West Africa
