Supplementing panicum maximum with two medicinal forages in the diet of Djallonke sheep at the Benin national sheep center

Ensuring a better integration of natural resources in the animal feeds remains the main challenge that farmers face most of the time. The present study, conducted in the breeding farm of Betecourou, deals with the nutritional value of two plant species both forage and anthelmintic, notably the Khaya senegalensis (Desr. ) A. Juss and the Boerhavia diffusa L. The feeding experiments lasted 120 days and were conducted on seventy-two (72) young sheep Djallonké, 9.00 ± 0.25 month age, with an initial weight of 19.32 ± 0.45 kg. For both the dry and rainy seasons’ experiments, the sheep were arranged in a Fisher block-like of three batches of twelve animals each. Lot 1: - green leaves of Panicum maximum C1 from pasture + 800 g of green leaves of B. diffusa for each sheep. Lot 2 - green leaves of Panicum maximum C1 taken from the pasture + 800 g of leaves of K. senegalensis per animal. Lot 3 represents the Control group fed only with forage Panicum maximun C1. For the dry season, animals Average Daily Weight Gain (ADG) for Lots 1 & 2 are higher than those of the control group (0.13 kg / d supplemented with B. diffusa and K. senegalensis versus 0.10 Kg/d for the control group). Experiments during the rainy season yielded higher ADG (p < 0.05) even though the feed intake for B. diffusa is the lowest. ADG and total weight gain induced are respectively 0.18 kg / d and 20.94 kg feeding with B. diffusa versus 0.17 kg / d and 20.0 kg for K. senegalensis and 0.12 kg / d and 14.25 kg for the control group) respectively. Boerhavia diffusa and Khaya senegalensis can be used in the formulation of an intensive sheep fattening ration.