Effect of additives on fermentation of cassava leaf silage and ruminal fluid of west african dwarf goats

A study was conducted to investigate the effects of different additives on the fermentation quality of ensiled cassava leaves and its effects on the ruminal fluid parameters using eighteen West African dwarf goats. Cassava leaves were ensiled alone (ECF), with 5 % (w/w) molasses (ECFM) and caged layer waste (ECFP) respectively as additives for 30 days. Results of chemical composition of the additive and non-additive silages indicated that ensiling with 5 % molasses reduced the DM content from 252.4 g/kg in ECF to 238.9 g/kg in ECFM and increased with 5 % caged layer waste (ECFP) to 267.6 g/kg. The CP content of ECF was 207.6 g/kg and this decreased to 198.5 g/kg DM in ECFM. Addition of molasses and caged layer waste caused a reduction in the HCN contents from 95.8 mg/kg in non-additive silage (ECF) to 89.3 mg/kg in ECFP and 84.7 mg/kg in ECFM. The mean pH of non-additive silage of 3.66 was significantly (p 0.05) in the pH, BC and lactic acid concentration in both the non- additive and additive silages. Ammonia-nitrogen concentration (NH3-N) however, ranged signi-ficantly (p<0.05) from 15.93 ± 0.20 (mg/dL) in ECF to 22.43 ± 0.61 (mg/dL) in ECFP. The study showed that ensiling cassava leaves with 5 % molasses and caged layer waste improved the silage conditions and the ruminal fluid parameters of West African Dwarf goats.