Effects of Replacing Ground Corn with Cassava Chip in Concentrate on Feed Intake, Nutrient Utilization, Rumen Fermentation Characteristics and Microbial Populations in Goats (Report‪)‬

ABSTRACT: Ten male crossbred (Thai Native x Anglo Nubian) goats with average live weight of 27 [+ or -] 2 kg were randomly assigned according to a 5x5 replicated Latin square design to receive five diets, [T.sub.1] = concentrate with 0% cassava chip (CC), [T.sub.2] = 25% CC, [T.sub.3] = 50% CC, [T.sub.4] = 75% CC and [T.sub.5] = 100% CC. Fresh elephant grass (FEG) was offered ad libitum as the roughage. A metabolism trial lasted for 21 days during which liveweight changes and feed intakes were measured. Based on this experiment, there were no significant differences (p0.05) among treatment groups regarding DM intake and digestion coefficients of nutrients (DM, OM, NDF and ADF), except for T5 (100% CC) which was lowest (p0.05) in digestion coefficient of CP than [T.sub.1] and [T.sub.3]. Rumen parameters (ruminal pH, N[H.sub.3]-N and volatile fatty acids), blood urea nitrogen, blood glucose and packed cell volume were similar among treatments. Moreover, rumen microorganism populations were not affected (p0.05) by cassava inclusion. The amount of N absorption and retention were similar among treatments, except for [T.sub.5] which tended to be slightly lower. Based on this experiment, it could be concluded that the optimal level of cassava inclusion to replace corn in goat diets was in the range of 25-75% of CC when fed with FEG and it was a good approach in exploiting the use of local feed resources for goat production. (Key Words : Cassava Chip, Corn, Goats, Rumen Fermentation, Nitrogen Balance) INTRODUCTION