weight gain and nutrient utilization performances of tropical goats feed moringa leaves with cafeteria leftover

Abstract <strong>Background</strong>: Dairy cattle feed supplies in the tropics, and particularly in Ethiopia, are mostly derived from base diets (natural and improved grasslands, agricultural wastes, fodder trees and shrubs), agro-industrial by-products, and non-conventional feeds. The availability of major feed resource kinds, sources, and dairy cattle feeding practises are primarily influenced by agro-ecology and season, as well as their interactions. <strong>Objectives</strong>: The research was carried out in the Chencha district of Gamo Zone, Southern Ethiopia, with the goals of assessing available, feeding system, opportunity, limits, and copying strategy of dairy cattle production, as well as estimating feed balance. <strong>Methods</strong>: Data was gathered through primary and secondary data sources, field observations, key informant interviews, focus group talks, and individual interviews. The survey data was stratified into altitudes, coded, and analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 20 and the general linear model approach. Cross tabulation was used to examine the statistical variance of categorical data. <strong>Results:</strong> The presence of different feed resource types, distinct agro-ecologies (P &lt; 0.05), and crop residue accessibility were the major opportunities for dairy cattle production in the study district, but land scarcity, a lack of dry season forages, and land degradation due to erosion were the major constraints for dairy cattle feed production. In the research district, the main feed resource copying approaches were reducing the number of dairy animals, saving optional feeds, and purchasing optional feeds. The total mean of dairy cow feed supply to TLU in terms of DM production each year was 3.86 tonnes of DM/HH/annual, with a negative feed balance of 8.09 tonnes that varied with seasons and agro-ecology (P &lt; 0.05). <strong>Conclusions:</strong> According to the findings of this study, the low production of dairy cattle in the district is clearly related to the scarcity of feed resources. To address these issues, alternative feed production technologies should be implemented, such as farmers practising forage development on their own crop land and collecting crop residues during crop harvesting times and storing them under shed, the nutritive value of different types of fodder trees and shrubs should be further determined in the future, and feed storage methods, particularly hay and silage, should be used when there are an abundance of feed resources available.**摘要** **背景**：热带地区，尤其是埃塞俄比亚，其奶牛饲料供给主要来源于基础日粮（天然与改良草地、农业废弃物、饲用乔灌木）、农工业副产品以及非常规饲料。主要饲料资源的种类、来源以及奶牛饲养实践，主要受农业生态区、季节及其交互作用的影响。 **目标**：本研究于埃塞俄比亚南部盖莫区陈查县开展，旨在评估奶牛生产的可用饲料资源、饲养系统、发展机遇、限制因素与可复制推广策略，并估算饲料供需平衡。 **方法**：研究数据通过一手与二手数据源、实地观测、关键知情人访谈、焦点小组讨论以及个人访谈采集。调查数据按海拔梯度分层、编码后，采用社会科学统计软件包20版（Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, SPSS）与一般线性模型方法进行分析；采用交叉制表法分析分类数据的统计方差。 **结果**：本研究区域内，奶牛生产的主要机遇包括多样的饲料资源类型、不同的农业生态区（P < 0.05）以及作物秸秆可获取性；而土地匮乏、干季饲草短缺以及侵蚀导致的土地退化则是奶牛饲料生产的主要限制因素。本区域内，饲料资源的主要推广利用策略包括减少奶牛存栏量、留存可选饲料以及外购可选饲料。以干物质（Dry Matter, DM）计，研究区域内每头热带牲畜单位（Tropical Livestock Unit, TLU）每年的奶牛饲料供给量均值为3.86吨干物质/户/年，饲料负平衡量为8.09吨，且该缺口随季节与农业生态区的不同而存在显著差异（P < 0.05）。 **结论**：本研究结果表明，该区域奶牛生产水平低下与饲料资源匮乏存在显著关联。针对上述问题，应推广替代饲料生产技术：例如鼓励农户在自有耕地开展饲草种植、在作物收获期收集秸秆并于棚内储存；未来需进一步测定不同饲用乔灌木的营养价值；在饲料资源充裕时期，应采用饲料储存手段，尤其是干草与青贮饲料储存技术。