Supplementation of minerals (Phosphorus and Sulfur) and Saccharomyces cerevisiae in a sheep diet based on a cocoa by-product

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this research was to determine the productivity of sheep that were fed a complete diet consisting of ammoniated cocoa waste (leaves and pod husks) supplemented with minerals (phosphorus and sulfur) and Saccharomyces cerevisiae (S. cerevisiae). Methodology: Four local sheep aged 10 months to 1 year were used in this study and were divided into 4 feed treatment groups (four sheeps per/treatment) with four replications for each treatment as follows: Treatment A served as the control and sheep were fed a complete diet that consisted of cocoa waste (fiber source)+concentrate, treatment B consisted of treatment A+0.4% phosphorous (P) and 0.3% sulfur (S), treatment C consisted of treatment B+1% S. cerevisiae and treatment D consisted of treatment B+2% S. cerevisiae. Each treatment had a fiber source: concentrate ratio of 40:60. The data collected included feed intake, nutrient digestibility, average daily weight gain and feed efficiency. Results: Treatment C had highly significant effects (p<0.01) on dry matter intake, organic matter intake, crude protein intake, digestibility, crude fiber intake, average daily gain and feed efficiency. Thus, the complete diet consisting of ammoniated cocoa waste increased feed intake, digestibility, daily weight gain and feed efficiency. The use of ammoniated cocoa waste-based complete feed with minerals (P and S) and 1% S. cerevisiae yielded 130 g/day of average daily weight gain. Conclusion: The diet consisting of ammoniated cocoa waste supplemented with minerals (P and S) and 1% Saccharomyces cerevisiae can be effectively used for fattening sheep.