**1. Introduction**

Shortages of feed during the dry season and sometimes during the wet season put a constraint to livestock production in almost every production system in Nigeria. Where feeds are found in abundance, they may be low in nutritive value which may manifest themselves in form of nutritional deficiencies when fed to animals. Increasing livestock production depends to a large extent on the availability of suitable feed resources. Forages in various conservation methods play a significant role in the nutrition of ruminant animals in general.

In large measure, the current under production of animal protein in the developing world is caused by lack of forages. Trees and shrubs play a dual role in the forage supply serving both as shade for grasses and as forage themselves (Nas, 1979). In dry savannas in particular, shrubs and trees are very precious, without them, stock raising would probably be impossible for pasture grasses die when upper soil layers lose their moisture, but the tree roots exploit deep underground moisture and they continue to flourish.

During the dry season, trees and shrubs provide green fodder leaves, flowers, fruits often rich in protein, vitamins and minerals. In the absence of forages trees and shrubs, animal have only straw from nature grasses.

The trees and shrubs can be interplanted with grasses thus increasing the carrying capacity of pastoral areas and often supplying the grazing during droughts or periods of year when other food is normally scarce (Nas, 1979). Trees products have many and often competing uses. Foliage and young leaves is useful supplier of plants nutrients (Kang, et.al 1999). Trees such as *Gliricidia sepium* provide useful forage in the form of leaves and bark and is commonly used to supplement poor quantity and low protein roughage.

During the dry season, it may become a major source of feed for goats, sheep and cattle in the sub-humid zone (Kang, et.al 1999). The importance of browse plants as source of protein and energy to ruminants particularly during the dry season of the year has been extensively reviewed. (Wilson,1969). However, browse plant cannot constitute a complete feed when fed alone. They should be given adequate attention in the feeding management of sheep (Carew, 1983).

Performance and Heat Index of West African Dwarf (WAD)

**3. Effect of heat stress on animal productivity** 

the body composition of growing animal (Hafez, 1968).

proportional to the volume of the animal.

**4. Objectives of the study** 

The specific objectives are

bark based concentrate supplement.

based concentrate diet.

1. To determine the composition of experimental diets

**2.3 Feeding** 

1985).

(Bianca, 1968).

environment.

Rams Fed with *Adansonia digitata* Bark (Baobab) as Supplement 247

A variety of feeds are used throughout the tropics and sub-tropics. Sheep are known as herbivores; feeding readily on a wide range of plant except poisonous ones. Under certain condition they feed on every parts of the plants within their reach such as leaves, stem, flowers, seeds, barks and fruits. Some of the pasture that are common in Nigeria include *Cynodon emiensis, Andropogon gayanus, Panicum maximum.* Some other crop residues and agro-industrial by-products are also used in feeding sheep e.g. cassava peels, yam peels, maize offals, wheat offal, PKC, BDG, Bone meal and Cereal straws. There is no sufficient information on the nutrient requirement of livestock. (Akinyosinu,

High ambient temperatures depress body activities which viewed homeostatically are biological mechanism for preventing overheating. The climatic condition also affect the amount of food and water intake, the availability of the potential energy in the ingested forage, the animals heat production system, the net energy available for productivity and

Pulse rate which is expressed in beats per minutes is like the respiratory rate inversely proportional to the weight (W) of the animal, it can also alter rapidly due to external factor such as temperature or intense activity by the animal itself. Bianca and Findlay (1962) showed that exposure of sheep to severe heat for a short period increased pulse rate but exposure to relatively long period decreased pulse rate. Pulse rate is usually higher in small animals than in large animals due to the relatively high metabolic rate of small species

Respiratory rate can change rapidly and at the extreme, in a matter of minutes. It is indirectly influenced by the animal's activity and by environmental being inversely

Rectal temperature is taken to be equivalent to the body temperature. Body temperature is the best indicator of the good health of the animal and its variation above and below normal is a measure of the animal's aptitude to resist hardship factors of the

The broad objective is to determine the performance of WAD Ram fed *Adansonia digitata* 

2. To determine the proximate analysis of Adansonia digitata bark and Wheat Offal 3. To determine the performance of West African Dwarf (WAD) rams fed Baobab bark-

4. To estimate the effect on pulse rate, respiratory rate and rectal temperature.

Small ruminant production is an important segment of agricultural sector that forms a significant component of most farming systems in the country whether pastoral or agricultural.

Nigeria has a population of 56.599 million small ruminants of which goats and sheep accounted for 34.4-85 million and 22.104 million respectively (FNPCPS,1980) of an estimated Africa small ruminant population of 349.4 million.

Information on the utilization of *Adansonia digitata* bark as feed for ruminants in general and WAD rams in particular has not been documented.
