Effect of high dietary intake of nickel in the West African dwarf goat

YOousuf, M.B., Faculty of Agriculture, University of  Ilorin,  Ilorin, Nigeria

Effect of high dietary intake of nickel in the West African dwarf goat

2002

YOousuf, M.B., Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria

The effect of dietary intake of nickel above nutritional requirement was studied in the West African dwarf (WAD) goat. Eight WAD goats with average initial live weight of 8.10± 1.46 kg were divided into two groups offour animalsper group, by their body weights. Each group was fed asole corn-based diet that was supplemented at 0 or 500 ppm level with elemental nickel as nickel sulphate hexahydrate (NiSO,.6H20). Serum total protein (g/IOO ml) was significantly (P0.05) reduced from 8.93 ± 0.28 in the control group to 5.63 ± 0.33 in the goats fed 500 ppm nickel. Effects of nickel treatment on haematological values were significant (P0.05). Relative weights, expressed in g per 100 g weight of left side carcass (glIOO g LSC) for heart, kidney and lung were only slightly (P0.05) reduced by the effect of high dietary nickel supplement. Tissue nickel concentration (nglg) was in the order, 0.01. 1.55 and 5.42 for the liver, kidney and lung, respectively, in goats consuming nickel-supplemented diet. No significant (P0.05) treatment efTcct was observed on the level of zinc in the heart, liver. lung or kidney. Resultsfrom the study suggested that supplemental nickel was fairly tolerated by the WAD goat at the 500 ppm level, as no drastic changes in tissue biochemical or haematological parameters were caused by the nickel treatment. However, there is need for the study to be carried out on a larger number of goats and for a longer period of feeding.

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