Abstract 603

El-Khidir,-OA; Gumaa,-AY; Fangali,-OAI; Badir,-NA; Khidir,-OAE

Central Animal Production Research Station, Kuku, PO Box 89 Industrial Area, Khartoum North, Sudan.

Animal-FeedScience-andTechnology. 1983, 9: 4, 301-306; 9 ref.

Balanites kernel cake (BKC) is produced from the fruit of Balanites aegyptiaca, a tree which is widely and densely distributed along the tropical belt of the African continent. The cake is characterized by high protein (36.8%) and low crude fibre (5.9%) contents. In this work the value of BKC as a source of crude protein in ruminant diets was compared with cotton seed cake (CSC), a conventional source of protein. Two groups of 10 and 11 lambs having an average liveweight of 20.5 ñ 0.9 kg were used. For a 3-week preliminary period animals of both groups were fed ad lib. on a diet containing 30% CSC as a major source of protein. During the following 13 weeks the group of 10 lambs continued on the same diet, whereas the other group were fed ad lib. on a Balanites cake diet (20% BKC). All lambs were slaughtered at about 40 kg liveweight. No significant differences were detected between the 2 groups of lambs in feedlot performance or carcass analysis.