Volume 10, Issue 3: 76-84; May 27, 2020  
ISSN 2228-7701  
EFFECT OF PELLETED BROWSE-BASED FEED WITH A BASAL DIET OF  
Andropogon gayanus FOR SHEEP ON INTAKE, NUTRIENT DIGESTIBILITY  
AND SOME HAEMATOLOGICAL AND BLOOD BIOCHEMICAL PARAMETERS  
Leonard ADJORLOLO1, Mark NSOH2, Akwasi MENSAH-BONSU3 and Frederick OBESE2  
1Livestock and Poultry Research Centre, School of Agriculture, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana  
2Department of Animal Science, School of Agriculture, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana  
3Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness, School of Agriculture, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana  
Email: fobese@ug.edu.gh;  
Supporting Information  
ABSTRACT: The study was designed to evaluate the nutritional quality of pelleted diets based on four of the major  
feed resources fed to small ruminants by farmers in the Accra Plains. Leaves of Samanea saman, Acacia  
auriculiformis and Ficus exasperata and cassava peels were dried, mixed with other ingredients and pelleted. A  
preference trial showed sheep accepted all the four supplements with a marked preference for cassava peels-  
based (CP-B) and Samanea saman-based (SL-B) supplements compared with Acacia auriculiformis-based (AL-B)  
and Ficus exasperata-based (FL-B) supplements (P<0.05). The supplements were subsequently fed to Eight West  
African Dwarf sheep on a basal diet of Andropogon gayanus (Gamba grass) hay in Latin square design. Dry  
matter intakes (DMI) did not differ by the type of supplement (P>0.05). However, crude protein intake (CPI) was  
higher (P<0.05) in sheep fed AL-B and FL-B than those fed SL-B and CP-B. Dry matter and neutral detergent fibre  
(NDF) digestibility were lowest (P<0.05) for sheep fed CP-B. Dietary treatments did not affect haematological  
parameters, except for neutrophil percentage which was higher (P<0.05) in sheep fed CP-B than those fed SL-B.  
Animals fed CP-B had the lowest monocyte concentrations (P<0.05). Furthermore, all the serum biochemical  
parameters were not affected by dietary treatment except total protein concentration which was highest  
(P<0.05) in sheep fed on AL-B. It is concluded that the feed resources available to the small ruminant keepers  
can be used to prepare pelleted supplements that are acceptable to sheep and help sustain appreciable  
performance on low quality forages during the dry season without any deleterious effects on intake, digestibility,  
physiology and health.  
Keywords: Acceptability, Browse plants, Dry season, Accra Plains, Blood parameters, Feed intake  
Abbreviations: AL-B: Acacia auriculiformis-based supplement; ADF: Acid detergent fibre; ADFD: Acid detergent fibre digestibility; ADFI: Acid  
detergent fibre intake; ANOVA: Analysis of variance; AOAC: Association of Official Analytical chemists; CP: crude protein; CPD: crude protein  
digestibility: CPI: crude protein intake; CP-B: cassava peel-based supplement; DM: dry matter; DMD: dry matter digestibility; DMI: dry matter  
intake; FCE: feed conversion efficiency; FL-B: Ficus exasperata-based supplement; LIPREC: Livestock and Poultry Research Centre; MCV: mean  
corpuscular volume; MCH: mean corpuscular hydrogen; MCHC: mean corpuscular hydrogen concentration; NDF: Neutral detergent fibre; NDFD:  
neutral detergent fibre digestibility; NDFI: neutral detergent fibre intake OM: organic matter: OMD: organic matter digestibility; OMI: organic  
matter intake; PCV: packed cell volume; RBC: red blood cell; SEM: standard error of mean; SL-B: Samanea saman-based supplement; T.  
Cholesterol: total cholesterol; WAD: West African Dwarf; WBC: white blood cell  
INTRODUCTION  
In the savannah areas of West Africa, where most livestock in the sub region are kept, the dry seasons are much longer  
than in the humid areas and are characterised by declines in forage availability and quality. For both cultivated pastures  
(Olanite et al., 2004) and natural pastures (Adjorlolo, 2014) forage biomass have been shown to decline drastically in the  
dry season. Other studies have indicated significant decreases in forage quality during the dry season. Even for forage  
legumes, decreases in crude protein content to as low as 5-7% (Peters et al., 1997) and increases in neutral detergent  
fibre (Fujihara et al., 2004) during the dry season have been reported. Supplementation, either to increase the dry matter  
intake or to increase crude protein intake is often necessary for maintenance and possibly production. The use of fodder  
tree and shrub leaves as supplement is widely practiced by farmers in Ghana. However, during the late dry season, many  
trees shed their leaves and availability of tree leaves decline. Many small ruminant keepers resort to buying agro-  
industrial by-products such as wheat bran, rice bran and cassava peels from processing facilities for supplementary  
feeding.  
An earlier study (Nsoh, 2019) identified feed resources commonly used by small ruminant keepers in the Accra  
Plains. This study sought to use four of the most important feed resources identified to develop pelleted multi-nutrient  
feed supplements with long shelf life, which can be stored and fed anytime during the year. It therefore assessed the  
effects of supplementary feed packages based on three browses and cassava peels on intake, metabolism and  
physiology of the West African Dwarf sheep.  
76  
To cite this paper: Adjorlolo L, Nsoh M, Mensah-Bonsu A and Obese F (2020). Effect of pelleted browse-based feed with a basal diet of Andropogon gayanus for sheep  
on intake, nutrient digestibility and some haematological and blood biochemical parameters. Online J. Anim. Feed Res., 10 (3): 76-84. DOI:  
MATERIALS AND METHODS  
Study area  
The study was conducted at the Livestock and Poultry Research Centre (LIPREC) of the University of Ghana (05068'  
N, 00010' W) in the Coastal Savannah belt of Ghana, West Africa. Annual rainfall averages 881 mm per annum but with a  
high degree of variability. The rainy season was from April to June, the minor season was from September to October, and  
the dry season from November to March (Adjorlolo, 2014).  
Experimental animals and their management  
All animals used in the study were growing West African Dwarf sheep. The animals were housed in individual pens  
with concrete floors. The housing unit had roofs made of corrugated iron sheets. The pens were 3m × 1.5m in dimension.  
Each pen had one wooden feeding trough for the basal diet and two plastic troughs, one for the supplement and the other  
for water. All the animals were treated against external parasites with pour-on acaricide and dewormed with Albendazole  
(10%), a broad-spectrum anthelminthic. All the procedures in this study were approved by the Noguchi Memorial Institute  
for Medical Research Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (NIACUC), University of Ghana (NIACUC Protocol No:  
2017-03-2R).  
Preparation of experimental diets  
Three browse plants, Ficus exasperata, Samanea saman and Acacia auriculiformis, and cassava peels were  
identified in an earlier study (Nsoh, 2019) as the most important feed resources used in small ruminant feeding in the  
Accra Plains. These were selected for evaluation. Leaves of the browses were harvested from trees around LIPREC. The  
leaves as well as cassava peels, which was bought from cassava processors were shade dried for four to six days and  
ground in a hammer mill (1 mm screen) into meals. The meals were each mixed with conventional feed ingredients and  
micro-nutrients and pelleted (Table 1).  
Table 1 - Ingredient composition of supplements used in the acceptability study  
Supplements  
SL-B  
AL-B  
FL-B  
CP-B  
Ingredients: (g/kg)  
Maize  
Wheat bran  
Mineral salt  
159  
120  
5
124  
135  
5
165  
108  
5
0
650  
5
Dicalcium phosphate  
Sulphate of ammonia  
Urea  
5
5
6
0
5
5
26  
0
5
5
12  
0
5
5
15  
320  
0
Cassava peels  
Samanea saman  
Acacia auriculiformis  
Ficus exasperata  
Total (Kg)  
700  
0
0
1000  
160.6  
0
700  
0
1000  
160.1  
0
0
0
0
700  
1000  
160.7  
1000  
160.7  
Crude protein (calculated)  
CP-B: cassava peels-based; and SL-B: Samanea saman-based; AL-B: Acacia auriculiformis-based; FL-B: Ficus exasperata-based supplements  
The pelleted supplements were formulated to be isonitrogenous using literature values of nitrogen concentrations in  
the browses and cassava peels. The dietary treatments were as follows:  
Treatment 1 (SL-B) = Gamba grass hay + Samanea saman leaf meal-based supplement  
Treatment 2 (AL-B) = Gamba grass hay + Acacia auriculiformis leaf meal-based supplement  
Treatment 3 (FL-B) = Gamba grass hay + Ficus exasperata leaf meal-based supplement  
Treatment 4 (CP-B) = Gamba grass hay + Cassava peel meal-based supplement  
Preference study  
Four female sheep with an average live weight of 13.7±1.5 kg were used for this trial. Each animal was penned  
individually and given free access to fresh water. Each sheep was offered the four supplements in a cafeteria style at  
08:00 hours each day and were allowed one hour to select. After the one hour, the refusal was deducted from the feed  
offered to determine the amount of each supplement consumed. The Andropogon gayanus hay which acted as the basal  
diet, was then offered ad libitum. An adjustment period of 14 days was followed by a data collection period of seven days.  
Voluntary feed intake and digestibility study  
Eight female sheep with an average initial body weight of 14.9±1.5 kg were randomly allotted to four experimental  
diets in a replicated Latin square design. Animals on each treatment were offered Andropogon gayanus hay as the basal  
feed and supplemented with either SL-B, AL-B, FL-B or CP-B. A daily supplement allowance of approximately 25% of  
voluntary intake was offered as single meals at 08:00 hours followed by the grass hay offered ad libitum. An adjustment  
77  
To cite this paper: Adjorlolo L, Nsoh M, Mensah-Bonsu A and Obese F (2020). Effect of pelleted browse-based feed with a basal diet of Andropogon gayanus for sheep  
on intake, nutrient digestibility and some haematological and blood biochemical parameters. Online J. Anim. Feed Res., 10 (3): 76-84. DOI:  
period of 14 days was followed by 74 days of data collection. Feed intake was determined daily as the difference between  
weight of feed offered and refusals. Rectal faecal samples were taken from each animal and bulked for each sheep for  
six days during the feed intake trial. The faecal samples were stored in a refrigerator. The faecal samples were then oven  
dried at 55to a constant weight for dry matter (DM) determination. The dried faeces were ground using a laboratory  
mill through 1mm sieve and bagged for subsequent analysis.  
Apparent digestibility (AD) of dry matter and other fractions of the feed were calculated as:  
AD (%) = 100 (  
(de Oliveira et al., 2012)  
Lignin was used as internal marker.  
Chemical analysis of feed and faeces  
Dry matter, organic matter, crude protein, and ash for the feed and faeces were determined using the method of  
AOAC (2004). Neutral detergent fibre (NDF), acid detergent fibre (ADF), lignin, cellulose, hemicellulose and silica were  
determined according to Van Soest et al. (1991).  
Blood sampling  
Blood samples were collected every two weeks (week 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9) from the jugular vein of each sheep using a  
vacutainer needle. Sampling was done in the morning, between 07:30 and 08:00 hours. A total of 10ml of blood sample  
was collected and 4ml transferred into a glass vacutainer tube containing the anticoagulant tripotassiumethelyne  
diamine tetra acetic acid (K3.EDTA). The tubes were placed on ice and transported immediately to the Laboratory for  
haematological analysis. The remaining 6 ml was transferred into glass vacutainer tubes containing clot (Gel) activator.  
This was placed on ice pack and also transported to the Laboratory where it was centrifuged at 3000 rpm for 10 minutes  
0
at 4 C. The sera obtained were gently harvested into Eppendorf tubes and stored at -200C until the analyzed for  
biochemical parameters.  
Haematological analysis  
The haemoglobin concentration was determined by the cyanmethaemoglobin method (Gillet et al., 2009), while PCV  
was estimated by the microhaematocrit method (Samour, 2006). The RBC and WBC counts were determined using the  
haemocytometer.  
Total RBC count was determined using the formula given by Samour (2006): RBC (1012/L)  
, Where: L= Litre; N=  
Number of cells counted in 160 small squares.  
The total WBC counts was estimated using the formula given by Campbell (1994): WBC (109/L)  
, Where:  
L= litre; N= number of cells counted in nine small squares  
The RBC indices were computed using the formulas provided by Reece and Swenson (2004) below:  
MCV (fL)= x 10; MCH (pg)= x 10; MCHC (%)= x 100  
In determining the differential WBC counts, thin smears of blood were made from blood samples obtained from  
venipuncture, on well ethanol-cleaned, grease-free microscope slides. They were air-dried, fixed in absolute methanol and  
stained with Giemsa stain. Stained slides were studied under oil immersion objective at 1000X magnification.  
Percentages of neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, eosinophils and basophils were all determined based on  
observation of 200 WBC per film.  
Blood biochemical analysis  
The concentrations of glucose, total proteins, albumin, total cholesterol and urea were determined in the serum at  
weeks 1,3,5,7, and 9 using the Mindray BA -88A Semi-Auto Chemistry Analyzer. Globulin concentration was computed as  
the difference between total protein and albumin concentrations.  
Statistical analyses  
Data from the acceptability, feed intake and digestibility studies were subjected to Analysis of variance procedure  
(ANOVA) of GenStat Release 12th Edition (VSN International, 2009), whilst that of the blood parameters was analyzed  
using repeated measures analysis of variance procedure of GenStat (VSN International, 2009). The Least significant  
difference procedure of GenStat was used to separate the means at 5% level of significance.  
RESULTS  
Chemical composition of feed ingredients and supplements  
The chemical composition of the basal diet (Gamba grass hay), the three browses (Samanea saman, Acacia  
auriculiformis and Ficus exasperata) and cassava peels are presented in Table 2. The basal diet, the leaf meals of the  
three browses and cassava peels had comparable dry matter contents (range 89.9 to 94.6%) and organic matter (range  
80.8 to 87.2%) contents. The chemical composition of the supplements are shown in Table 3. The dry matter, organic  
78  
To cite this paper: Adjorlolo L, Nsoh M, Mensah-Bonsu A and Obese F (2020). Effect of pelleted browse-based feed with a basal diet of Andropogon gayanus for sheep  
on intake, nutrient digestibility and some haematological and blood biochemical parameters. Online J. Anim. Feed Res., 10 (3): 76-84. DOI:  
matter, NDF and lignin contents were similar. FL-B had the highest crude protein content (21.5%) while CP-B had the least  
(16.3%) crude protein but highest ADF.  
Preference of sheep for the pelleted supplements  
The sheep accepted all the supplements but preferred (P<0.05) SL-B and CP-B to the rest. The supplement least  
preferred (P<0.05) was FL-B. The preference of sheep for the three browses and cassava peel meal supplements is shown  
in Table 4.  
Influence of supplements on voluntary intakes in West African Dwarf sheep  
The influence of the supplements on voluntary intake in sheep is shown in Table 5. The total dry matter intake was  
similar (P>0.05) across the treatments. Crude protein intake ranged from 59.63 to 67.01%. Sheep fed AL-B and FL-B had  
similar crude protein intakes but significantly higher (P<0.05) crude protein intake than those fed SL-B and CP-B. Organic  
matter intake was least (P<0.05) in FL-B Sheep. However, intake of NDF was significantly higher (P<0.05) in sheep fed FL-  
B than those fed the other treatments. The ADF intake on the other hand was in the range of 25.44 to 54.65g/day and  
was found to be significantly higher (P<0.05) in sheep fed SL-B and CP-B than those fed AL-B and FL-B. Sheep CP-B had  
lower (P<0.05) lignin intake than those fed SL-B, AL-B and FL-B.  
Digestibility of nutrients by West African Dwarf sheep  
Dry matter digestibility was lowest (P<0.05) in sheep fed CP-B (Table 6). SL-B had the highest dry matter digestibility  
value of 62.35% and this was significantly (P<0.05) higher than the digestibility of 60.33% for AL-B. The crude protein  
digestibility followed a similar pattern as dry matter digestibility. The organic matter digestibility in this study ranged from  
46.31 to 52.25%. Sheep fed SL-B had the highest (P<0.01) organic matter digestibility. Also, sheep fed FL-B had higher  
(P<0.05) organic matter digestibility than those fed AL-B and CP-B. The NDF digestibility in this study ranged from 34.9 for  
CP-B to 41.57% for FL-B. NDF digestibility was similar (P>0.05) for sheep fed SL-B and FL-B, but both were higher  
(P<0.05). The ADF digestibility in this study ranged from 22.30 to 33.47%. The ADF digestibility was similar (P>0.05) in  
sheep fed SL-B and CP-B, but both were higher (P<0.05) than for AL-B and FL-B.  
Table 2 - Chemical composition of leaf meals of browses, cassava peel meal and Andropogon gayanus hay  
Andropogon  
hay  
Cassava  
Peels  
Fraction (%)  
Samanea  
Acacia  
Ficus  
Dry matter  
89.9  
6.7  
80.8  
73.8  
44.9  
6.1  
92.7  
21.9  
83.8  
59.8  
39.7  
6.8  
93.4  
16.4  
87.2  
60.7  
49.5  
6.2  
91.9  
15.9  
87.2  
42.9  
36.4  
3.7  
94.6  
2.1  
80.9  
36.3  
27.4  
9.7  
Crude protein  
Organic matter  
Neutral detergent fibre  
Acid detergent fibre  
Lignin  
Total ash  
12.6  
8.9  
6.2  
3.7  
7.3  
Table 3 - Chemical composition of the experimental supplements  
Supplement (%)  
Fraction (%)  
SL-B  
AL-B  
FL-B  
CP-B  
91.2  
16.3  
84.8  
41.3  
30.6  
3.4  
Dry matter  
92.5  
18.3  
85.9  
41.6  
30.2  
3.8  
91.7  
20.5  
84.7  
44.5  
29.6  
4.7  
90.2  
21.5  
83.7  
43.4  
14.6  
4.5  
Crude protein  
Organic matter  
Neutral detergent fibre  
Acid detergent fibre  
Lignin  
CP-B: cassava peels-based; and SL-B: Samanea saman-based; AL-B: Acacia auriculiformis-based; FL-B: Ficus exasperata-based supplements  
Table 4 - Preference of West African Dwarf sheep for the supplements  
Supplements  
Means of intake (g)  
CP-B  
SL-B  
223.3a  
195.8a  
111.3b  
57.6c  
AL-B  
FL-B  
SEM  
24.16  
<0.001  
P-Value  
a,b,c, Means within a column with different superscripts differ significantly at P<0.05.  
79  
To cite this paper: Adjorlolo L, Nsoh M, Mensah-Bonsu A and Obese F (2020). Effect of pelleted browse-based feed with a basal diet of Andropogon gayanus for sheep  
on intake, nutrient digestibility and some haematological and blood biochemical parameters. Online J. Anim. Feed Res., 10 (3): 76-84. DOI:  
Table 5 - Influence of supplements on voluntary intakes in West African Dwarf sheep  
Supplements  
SL-B  
AL-B  
FL-B  
CP-B  
SEM  
P-value  
Parameter (g/day)  
Dry matter intake  
649.5  
63.69b  
533.6a  
74.36b  
54.65a  
35.49a  
636.8  
67.01a  
520.9a  
76.75b  
50.81b  
36.56a  
629.6  
66.32a  
497.3b  
85.98a  
25.44c  
36.17a  
653.3  
59.63c  
534.4a  
72.98b  
53.79a  
34.14b  
11.52  
1.277  
9.40  
2.042  
1.158  
0.629  
0.143  
Crude protein intake  
Organic matter intake  
Neutral detergent fibre intake  
Acid detergent fibre intake  
Lignin intake  
< 0.001  
< 0.001  
< 0.001  
< 0.001  
< 0.001  
a,b,c,Means within a row with different superscripts differ significantly at P<0.05.; CP-B: cassava peels-based; and SL-B: Samanea saman-  
based; AL-B: Acacia auriculiformis-based; FL-B: Ficus exasperata-based supplements.  
Table 6 - Digestibility of components of feed as influenced by supplementation (%)  
Supplements  
SL-B  
AL-B  
FL-B  
CP-B  
SEM  
P-value  
Fraction (%)  
Dry matter  
62.35a  
57.25a  
52.25a  
40.62a  
32.87a  
60.33b  
56.30b  
47.22c  
36.29b  
22.30c  
61.22ab  
56.25ab  
49.43b  
41.57a  
25.64b  
57.10c  
51.10c  
46.31c  
34.90b  
33.47a  
0.655  
0.553  
0.892  
0.993  
1.034  
<0.001  
<0.001  
<0.001  
<0.001  
<0.001  
Crude protein  
Organic matter  
Neutral detergent fibre  
Acid detergent fibre  
a,b,c,  
Means within a row with different superscripts differ significantly at P<0.05.; SEM = Standard error of mean. CP-B: cassava peels-based;  
and SL-B: Samanea saman-based; AL-B: Acacia auriculiformis-based; FL-B: Ficus exasperata-based supplements  
Haematological and serum biochemical parameters in West African Dwarf sheep  
Details of the effects of the supplements on haematological and serum biochemical parameters of sheep are  
shown in Table 7. There was no significant treatment effect (P˃0.05) on most of the haematological parameters  
measured except neutrophils and monocyte levels. Sheep that were fed the CP-B had significantly (P<0.05) higher  
neutrophil value than those fed on SL-B. Values for sheep on AL-B and FL-B, however, were not significantly different  
(P˃0.05) from those on SL-B and CP-B. Sheep on SL-B and AL-B had significantly (P=0.05) higher monocyte  
concentrations than those on CP-B. Dietary treatment did not significantly (P˃0.05) affect all the serum biochemical  
parameters determined except total protein concentration which was significantly (P<0.05) higher in sheep fed on AL-B  
than those fed on SL-B, FL-B and CP-B. Generally, the concentrations of most of the haematological and serum  
biochemical parameters remained relatively stable and showed similar trends across dietary treatments during the  
period of study (Figures 1 and 2).  
Figure 1 - Changes in neutrophil concentration in West African Dwarf Sheep. CP-B: cassava peels-based; and SL-B: Samanea  
saman-based; AL-B: Acacia auriculiformis-based; FL-B: Ficus exasperata-based supplements  
80  
To cite this paper: Adjorlolo L, Nsoh M, Mensah-Bonsu A and Obese F (2020). Effect of pelleted browse-based feed with a basal diet of Andropogon gayanus for sheep  
on intake, nutrient digestibility and some haematological and blood biochemical parameters. Online J. Anim. Feed Res., 10 (3): 76-84. DOI:  
Figure 2 - changes in Glucose concentration in West African Dwarf Sheep. CP-B: cassava peels-based; and SL-B: Samanea  
saman-based; AL-B: Acacia auriculiformis-based; FL-B: Ficus exasperata-based supplements  
Table 7 - Haematological and serum biochemical parameters of West African Dwarf sheep fed basal diet of  
Andropogon gayanus hay and supplements  
Treatments  
Parameters  
SEM  
P-value  
SL-B  
AL-B  
FL-B  
CP-B  
Haematological Indices  
Haemoglobin (g/dL)  
PCV (%)  
13.27  
29.20  
10.63  
27.80  
12.40  
45.44  
4.37  
15.27  
33.60  
11.94  
27.87  
12.87  
45.24  
4.96  
15.33  
32.80  
11.80  
28.73  
13.26  
46.74  
4.34  
15.46  
35.60  
11.24  
29.45  
13.92  
43.43  
4.87  
1.01  
2.05  
0.66  
0.14  
0.07  
0.15  
0.39  
4.37  
4.10  
0.80  
0.73  
0.10  
0.162  
0.291  
0.160  
0.577  
0.157  
0.053  
0.641  
0.037  
0.487  
0.625  
0.50  
RBC (x1012g/L)  
MCV (fL)  
MCH (pg)  
MCHC (g/dL)  
WBC(x109/L)  
Neutrophils (%)  
Lymphocyte (%)  
Eosinophils (%)  
Monocytes (%)  
Basophils (%)  
56.90b  
39.20  
1.60  
61.30ab  
34.60  
1.50  
58.40ab  
39.30  
0.80  
63.80a  
34.70  
0.80  
2.20a  
0.09  
2.30a  
0.11  
0.90ab  
0.22  
0.50b  
0.18  
0.596  
Serum Biochemical Indices  
Glucose (mmol/L)  
Total protein (g/L)  
Albumen (g/L)  
1.96  
60.46b  
36.96  
23.50  
1.40  
1.54  
64.38a  
38.43  
25.95  
1.50  
1.72  
61.48b  
37.07  
24.41  
1.48  
1.57  
61.57b  
37.37  
24.14  
1.79  
0.20  
0.65  
0.78  
1.23  
2.87  
0.36  
0.108  
0.030  
0.374  
0.388  
0.497  
0.492  
Globulin (g/L)  
T. cholesterol (mmol/L)  
Urea (mmol/L)  
9.51  
9.67  
8.71  
9.21  
a,b  
Means within a row with different superscripts differ significantly at P<0.05.; T.cholesterol = total cholesterol. CP-B: cassava peels-based;  
and SL-B: Samanea saman-based; AL-B: Acacia auriculiformis-based; FL-B: Ficus exasperata-based supplements  
DISCUSSION  
All the supplements were acceptable but SL-B and CP-B had the highest preference by sheep. A number of factors may  
influence acceptability of feed by small ruminants. Provenza and Cincotta (1994) reported that plant physical structure  
and chemical composition are the most vital factors that influence preference for feed. Oldham and Alderman (1982)  
reported that ad libitum intake by animals is increased by an increase in crude protein content of diets. However, in this  
study, no association between crude protein concentration and preference could be established.  
The similarity in dry matter intakes may suggest that the supplements stimulated intake of the basal diets to similar  
extents despite the differences in the crude protein concentrations. The higher crude protein intake in sheep fed AL-B and  
FL-B compared to the SL-B and CP-B could be attributed to higher crude protein concentration of the supplements of AL-B  
and FL-B. High crude protein intake makes available nitrogen needed to improve the rumen eco-system and increase the  
animal’s ability to digest fibrous portions of feed. Odedire and Oloidi (2014) reported a decrease in crude protein intake  
81  
To cite this paper: Adjorlolo L, Nsoh M, Mensah-Bonsu A and Obese F (2020). Effect of pelleted browse-based feed with a basal diet of Andropogon gayanus for sheep  
on intake, nutrient digestibility and some haematological and blood biochemical parameters. Online J. Anim. Feed Res., 10 (3): 76-84. DOI:  
due to reduced palatability of the diet when West African Dwarf goats were fed supplements containing increasing levels  
of wild sunflower. In the current study however, dry matter intakes were similar. The lower organic matter intake in sheep  
fed FL-B could be attributed to the high levels of anti-nutritional factors, such as alkaloids, saponins, cyanogenic  
glycosides and tannins contained in that supplement that could potentially have adverse effects on nutrient utilization as  
reported by Ljeh and Ukwemi (2007). The higher NDF intake of sheep fed FL-B could be attributed to the higher crude  
protein level in FL-B (21.5%) which could have improved rumen environment aiding rumen microbial fermentation thereby  
increasing dry matter intake and consequently, NDF intake. The high intake of ADF in sheep fed SL-B and CP-B may be  
due to moderate quantities of antinutritional factors in SL-B (Obasi et al., 2010) and tolerable levels of cyanogenic  
glycosides in CP-B which might not have adversely influenced the rumen environment but rather aided in ADF digestion  
thereby increasing its intake. The lower lignin intake in sheep fed CP-B compared to those fed SL-B, AL-B and FL-B could  
be attributed to an imbalance or inadequacy of nutrients especially crude protein intake in sheep fed CP-B which might  
have resulted in reduced rumen ammonia production and microbial growth and activity. This could indirectly slow down  
the rates of digestion and passage and subsequently reduce intake as reported by Preston and Leng (1987).  
The lower dry matter digestibility in sheep fed CP-B compared to the other treatments could be attributed to lower  
crude protein intake of this supplement. Also, anti-nutritional factors such as cyanogenic glycosides in the cassava peels  
might have slowed down microbial action and thereby decreased dry matter digestibility. Anti-nutritional factors are  
known to interfere with normal digestion, metabolism and absorption of nutrients (Gilani et al., 2005). The leaves of  
forages are high in readily degradable nitrogen as reported by NRC (2000) and some by-pass protein. Inclusion of such  
browses in ruminant diets cause faster fermentation rate and substrate degradation hence increasing dry matter intake.  
The higher crude protein intake of sheep fed SL-B, AL-B and FL-B over CP-B could have enhanced the digestibility of crude  
protein in these supplements than the CP-B. The presence of cyanogenic glycosides in the cassava peel meal supplement  
could have inhibited the effective digestion of protein by the rumen microbes. The leaves of forages are high in readily  
degradable nitrogen as reported by NRC (2000) and some by-pass protein. Inclusion of such browses in ruminant diets will  
cause faster fermentation rate and substrate degradation hence increasing dry matter intake.  
The high digestibility of organic matter of sheep fed SL-B and FL-B could be due to the provision of adequate  
nutrients to the rumen microbes with consequent improvement in organic matter intake whilst higher levels of flavonoids  
and triterpenoids in AL-B and cyanogenic glycosides in CP-B adversely affected rumen microbial activity resulting in lower  
organic matter digestibility. Also, the lower crude protein digestibility in sheep fed CP-B may account for their lowest  
organic matter digestibility.  
The high NDF digestibility in sheep fed SL-B and FL-B is likely due to moderate concentrations of secondary  
metabolites in the Samanea and Ficus leaf meals that might have had positive influence on rumen microbes as several  
researchers have reported secondary metabolites having positive impacts on rumen fermentation due to their low or  
moderate concentrations (Jiménez-Peralta et al., 2011; Salem et al., 2014). The low crude protein level in CP-B could have  
inhibited rumen activity thus decreasing digestibility of NDF of sheep fed that diet. However, ADF digestibility in sheep fed  
CP-B was higher probably as a result of low lignin contents in CP-B compared with the others.  
Haematological and blood biochemical indices provide useful information on the physiological status of animals and  
hence serve as a tool in determining normal healthy state of animals (Onasanya et al., 2015). The similar concentrations  
of the haematological parameters in most of the test diets suggest that the inclusion of the supplements did not have  
adverse or detrimental effects on the health of the sheep. This suggests the quality of the supplementary diets were good  
to help sustain growth of sheep during periods when animals have to rely of poor quality fodder. The haemoglobin and  
PCV levels of 13.27 to 15.46 g/dL and 29.20 to 35.60% respectively obtained in the present study were within the normal  
physiological range of 9 to 15 g/dL and 27 to 45% respectively reported for sheep (The Merck Veterinary Manual, 2010).  
This suggests similar ability of the dietary treatments in augmenting the production of haemoglobin and RBCs for efficient  
transportation of gases during respiration. Konlan et al. (2012) and Dougba (2017) in earlier studies reported  
haemoglobin and PVC ranges of 12.41 to 13.60 g/dL and 27.45 to 29.43% respectively for the same breed of sheep fed  
diets containing various agro-industrial by-products. Total RBC counts range of values (10.63 to 11.94 x 1012 g/L) was  
within the normal physiological range of 9 to 15 x 1012 g/L reported for sheep (The Merck Veterinary Manual, 2010)  
indicating the efficient synthesis of RBCs across the dietary treatments. The MCV, MCH and MCHC values obtained in the  
present study were also comparable to the normal physiological range for sheep. The total WBC counts (4.34 x 109 to  
4.96 x 109 g/L obtained in the present study were within the normal range of 4 x 109 to 12 x 109/L reported for sheep  
(The Merck Veterinary Manual, 2010). This suggests the test diets supplied enough nutrients for the production of WBCs  
to adequately defend the body against infections. Konlan et al. (2012) reported a range of 8.37 x 109 to 9.30 x 109 for the  
West African Dwarf sheep fed a basal diet of rice straw and groundnut haulms with graded levels of shea-nut cake  
supplement. Also, the WBC differential counts across dietary treatments were within the normal ranges reported for  
sheep (The Merck Veterinary Manual, 2010). This suggests similar ability of the sheep to fight infection when fed the  
supplements. The distribution of WBC observed in the present study were comparable with the range of values reported  
for the same breed of sheep by Baiden and Obese (2010) and Konlan et al. (2012).  
The nonsignificant difference in the concentrations of most of the blood biochemical parameters across the dietary  
treatments suggest that the inclusion of leaf meal supplements based on Samanea, Acacia, Ficus, and Cassava peel  
meal-based supplements did not have adverse effects on the physiology of the West African Dwarf sheep. The similar  
concentration of serum glucose across dietary treatments suggest the inclusion of the browse species leaf meal and  
82  
To cite this paper: Adjorlolo L, Nsoh M, Mensah-Bonsu A and Obese F (2020). Effect of pelleted browse-based feed with a basal diet of Andropogon gayanus for sheep  
on intake, nutrient digestibility and some haematological and blood biochemical parameters. Online J. Anim. Feed Res., 10 (3): 76-84. DOI:  
cassava peel-based supplements did not adversely deprived the sheep of energy for metabolic activities. The range of  
values (1.54 to 1.96 mmol/L) obtained in the present study was however, lower than the 2.85 to 3.10 mmol/L reported  
for West Africa Dwarf sheep fed basal diet of rice straw and supplemented with varying levels of neem leaf meal  
concentrate diets (Dougba, 2017). Serum concentrations of total protein, albumin and globulin serve as indicators of  
protein status (Ndlovu et al., 2007). Also, circulating concentrations of globulin usually give indication of an animal’s  
immune state and its response to fighting diseases and infections (Kapele et al., 2008). The higher crude protein intake  
for sheep fed AL-B than those fed the other three supplements may account for its high total protein value. The values  
obtained for total protein concentrations, 60.46 to 64.38 g/L were within the normal physiological range of 59 to 78 g/L  
reported for sheep (The Merck Veterinary Manual, 2010). The total protein concentrations were comparable to the 56.00  
to 61.34 g/L reported for the same breed of sheep fed basal diet of rice straw and groundnut haulms with graded levels  
of shea nut cake concentrate supplement (Konlan et al., 2012), but lower than the 72.3 to 83.3 g/L reported for the same  
breed of sheep (Dougba, 2017). The age, type of diet fed and physiological state of the sheep used may account for the  
differences. The concentrations of serum albumin (36.96 to 38.43 g/L) were similar to the reported normal physiological  
values of 27 to 37 g/L reported for sheep (The Merck Veterinary Manual, 2010). However, globulin concentrations (23.50  
resist infections or diseases. All the sheep used in the study were however healthy and did not show any signs of disease  
throughout the study. The normal and similar total protein and albumin concentrations in sheep fed the various  
supplements indicates that the inclusion of leaf meal and cassava peel - based supplements did not adversely influence  
the availability of protein to the sheep, their immune status and ability to fight diseases. The range of values for total  
rice straw and supplemented with varying levels of neem leaf meal concentrate diets (Dougba, 2017). The difference may  
be attributed to the type of diet fed to sheep in these studies.  
CONCLUSION  
From the above studies, feed resources available to the small ruminant keepers can be used to prepare pelleted  
supplements that are acceptable to sheep and help improve performance on low quality forages. Feeding these  
supplements did not adversely affect the health and physiology of sheep as indicated by the blood parameters. These  
supplements, which have high bulk density and long shelf life, can help prevent the major losses in ruminant production  
during the dry season.  
DECLARATIONS  
Corresponding Author  
E-mail: fobese@ug.edu.gh; ORCİD: 0000-0001-6747-4786  
Authors’ Contribution  
LA conceived the study, participated in the design of the study, contributed to data analysis and the write up of the  
manuscript, MS participated in the data collection and contributed in data analysis and the write up of the manuscript, AM  
was in involved the design and data analysis of the study and contributed to the write up of the manuscript. FO  
participated in the design and coordination of the study, contributed to data analysis and the write up of the manuscript.  
Conflict of interests  
The authors have not declared any conflict of interests.  
Acknowledgements  
This project was made possible with financial support from the University of Ghana research fund and funds from  
the AG Leventist Foundation.  
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To cite this paper: Adjorlolo L, Nsoh M, Mensah-Bonsu A and Obese F (2020). Effect of pelleted browse-based feed with a basal diet of Andropogon gayanus for sheep  
on intake, nutrient digestibility and some haematological and blood biochemical parameters. Online J. Anim. Feed Res., 10 (3): 76-84. DOI: