Growth Performance and Body Condition Score of Pregnant and Lactating West African Dwarf Goats Fed Microbial-Treated Rice Husk-Based Diets.

Abstract

Rice husk is an abundant agricultural by-product with limited use in ruminant feeding due to its low protein, and high fibre contents. This study evaluated the effects of microbial-treated rice husk-based diets on growth performance and body condition score of pregnant and lactating West African Dwarf goats. Rice husk was subjected to biological treatment using Alcaligenes faecalis, Aspergillus flavus, and a combination of both microorganisms before inclusion in experimental diets as a substitute for twenty-five percent maize. Forty healthy nulliparous West African Dwarf does were randomly assigned to four dietary treatments in a completely randomized design and managed throughout gestation and seven weeks after parturition. Nutritional analysis revealed that microbial treatment significantly improved the quality of rice husk, increasing crude protein from 4.43% in the raw sample to 10.68–11.14% in treated samples, while maintaining comparable ash and fibre contents. Growth performance of pregnant goats was significantly influenced by dietary treatment, with average daily weight gain ranging from 68.03 to 68.98 g/day in treated groups compared with 76.67 g/day in the maize-based control. Similarly, lactating goats fed treated rice husk diets recorded average daily weight gains of 18.78–22.02 g/day compared with 26.33 g/day in the control group. Despite these reductions, treated diets sustained satisfactory growth and maintained body condition throughout the experimental period. Body condition score was not significantly affected by treatment and ranged from 4.45 to 4.90 across diets. The results demonstrate that microbial bioconversion substantially enhanced the feeding value of rice husk and supports its valorization as a sustainable alternative feed resource capable of partially replacing conventional feed ingredients in diets of breeding West African Dwarf goats.

Keywords: Rice husk, WAD goat, Pregnant, Lactating, Fungi, Bacteria