A Study on Rumen Cilliate Protozoa Population, pH And Some Metabolities in West African Dwarf (WAD) Sheep Fed Forage and Concentrate Diets

Abstract

An investigation on rumen ciliate protozoa population, pH niid soiiie nletabolites (total volatile fatty
acids, rumeiz ammonia Nitrogen) was coiiducted on two fistulafed WAD rains fed forage arid
coiicentrate diets. The 12-week study focused on the seqrtence of production of tlzese paraiizeters
tinder each dietary regime.
Tlte diets fed were a grass sword consisting iitainly of Paiiicuin liiaximlitn and contaittiizg 6.50%
criide proteiiz (CP) and a concentrate ration foriniilated j?om niaize, grotindnut cake, fisli dtist iiieal,
brewers dried grain, bone ash and cointnon salt arid containing 12.08% crude protein (CP). Tla? diet
were fed consecutively fw 6 weeks and rualeii sainpling was carried oiit in tlze last 4 weeks of each
fieding regimen. Ramen liquor sarnples were drawn lto~irlyi n batcl~esd ttriizg morning (9am-12iiooii)
and afternoon (Ipm-4pm) periods on each sainpling day. Rurnetz pH was recorded for each holirly
collected satnple before pooling by batch. Eacli pooled batcli of sanr,des was estimated for ciliate
protozoa population(CPP) and stibsequeritly aiialysed for total volatile fatty acids (TVFA) atid ruineri
ammonia nitrogen (RAN).
The results showed that nutritional regime significantly (W0.05) influenced rliinerz pH and
concentrations of TVFA, RAN and CPP. These paraiiieters were also affected (P<0.05) by periods of
sampling. Signijcant positive correlatioiz existed between ruinen pH and RAN (P<0.02, ~ 0 . 7 4 ) ;
rumen pH and CPP (P<O.Ol,r=0.87) ai:d RAN and CPP (P<0.01, r=0.77), while the relntioiiship
befween rumen pH and TVFA (P<O.Ol, r=0.84); RAN and TVFA (P<0.05, r=-0.39 and CPP aitd TVFA
(P<0.01, r=-0.84); were negative and sigrtificarz t. These resrilfs corijrriz that TVFA, RAN aitd CPP are
true parameters for predicting the nutritional status of rtiiitiriarlt anintals at any given tiiiie.