DOLICHOS-LABLAB (LAB-LAB-PURPUREUS CV RONGAI) AS SUPPLEMENTARY FEED TO MAIZE STOVER FOR INDIGENOUS FEMALE GOATS IN ZIMBABWE

Three mature female goats fitted with permanent rumen cannulae were us ed to estimate rumen degradation kinetics of diets consisting of 70:30 (w/w) (Diet 1) and 50:50 (w/w) (Diet 2) proportions of maize stover a nd dolichos lablab. The DM degradation constants (a, b, c) from the eq uation P = a + b(1 - e(-ct)) were 11.8, 49.0, 0.029 and 13.1, 48.5, 0. 030, for Diet 1 and Diet 2, respectively. Diets were fed to pregnant d oes to study their effect on reproductive performance and to non-pregn ant does to study effects on carcass traits. In pregnant does Diet 2 r esulted in higher(P < 0.05) intakes of DM, OM and N (55 vs. 53 g kg(-0 .75), 48 vs. 46 g kg(-0.75) and 0.7 vs. 0.6 g kg(-0.75), respectively) compared with Diet 1, but kid birth weights were similar (2.4 vs, 1.9 kg for does on Diets 2 and 1, respectively; P > 0.05). Daily milk yie ld (884 vs. 434 g day(-1)), average daily gain of does (22.2 vs. 6.3 g day(-1)) and average daily gain of kids (49 vs. 21.9 g day(-1)) diffe red (P < 0.05) for Diet 2 vs. Diet 1, respectively. In non-pregnant do es, the diets had no effect (P > 0.05) on carcass traits and resulted in hot: carcass weights of 7.1 kg and 7.6 kg, cold carcass weights of 6.9 kg and 7.4 kg and killing-out proportions of 360 g kg(-1) and 384 g kg(-1) for Diet 1 and Diet 2, respectively. It was concluded that di ets based on maize stover and dolichos lablab could provide adequate n utrients to maintain goat productivity during the cropping season, wit hout compromising labour availability to cropping activities.