The study aimed to determine the response of West African dwarf (WAD) rams to dried Ficus thonningii (DFT) foliage as supplement to high quality cassava peel (HQCP). A feeding trial was conducted with 20 WAD rams assigned to four dietary treatments. Treatments consisted of HQCP as a sole diet offered ad libitum (T1) or supplemented with DFT foliage at 20(T2), 40(T3), and 60 per cent(T4). Feed intake and apparent digestibility coefficients of dry matter, crude protein, ether extracts, neutral detergent fibre, and acid detergent fibre were highest (P < 0.05) in rams fed 60 per cent DFT foliage and least for those fed the control diet. Rams fed the diet with DFT foliage gained weight while those in the control group lost weight. The highest gain was recorded in rams with 60 per cent of DFT foliage in the diet (42.38 g/day). The values for blood parameters were high in rams fed 60 per cent DFT foliage: 5.00 per cent, 6.15 g/dl, and 2.80 g/dl for monocyte, total protein, and globulin, respectively. These values for blood parameters except lymphocyte were within the normal range for healthy sheep production. The study concluded that DFT foliage fed up to the 60 per cent level with HQCP improved the total dry matter intake, nutrient digestibility, body weight, and blood parameters of the WAD rams. However the low lymphocyte count can be improved by giving the WAD rams the right treatment.

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Adeyemi, O.A., Eruvbetine, D., Oguntona, T., Dipeolu, M. and Agunbiade, J.A. (2008) ‘Feeding broiler chicken with diets containing whole cassava root meal fermented with rumen filtrate’, Archives de Zootechinica 57: 247–58.

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Aregheore, E.M. and Perera, D. (2004b) ‘Effects of supplementation of a basal diet of maize stover with Erythrina variegata, Gliricidia sepium and Leucaena leucocephala on feed intake and digestibility by goats’, Tropical Animal Health Production 36: 175–89.

Arigbede, O.M., Olanite, J.A. and Bamikole, M.A. (2005) ‘Intake, performance and digestibility of West African dwarf goats supplemented with graded levels of Grevia pubescens and Panicum maximum’, Nigerian Journal of Animal Production 32: 293–300.

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Babayemi, O.J., Bamikole, M.A. and Oduguwa, B.O. (2003) ‘Haematological and biochemical components of West African dwarf goats fed Tephrosia bracteolate-based forage’, Tropical Animal Investigations 6: 31–8.

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Balehegn, M. and Hintsa, K. (2015) ‘Effect of maturity on chemical composition of edible parts of Ficus thonningii Blume (Moraceae): an indigenous multipurpose fodder tree in Ethiopia’, Livestock Research for Rural Development 27: Article #233 [online] <http://www.lrrd.org/lrrd27/12/bale27233.htm> [accessed 11 February 2019].

Balehegn, M., Eniang, E.A. and Hassen, A. (2012) ‘Estimation of browse biomass of Ficus thonningii, an indigenous multipurpose fodder tree in northern Ethiopia’, African Journal of Range and Forage Science 29: 25–30.

Bamikole, M.A. and Ikhatua, U.J. (2010) ‘Nutritional evaluation of Ficus thonningii–Panicum maximum mixtures in West African dwarf goats’, Nutrition and Food Science 40: 280–8.

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Bawala, T.O., Adegoke, E.O., Ojekunle, A.O., Adu, I.F. and Aina, A.B.J. (2007) ‘Utilization of cassava peel and rumen epithelial waste diets by West African dwarf sheep’, ASSET Series 7(1): 168–80.

Berhe, D.H. and Tanga, A.A. (2013) ‘Nutritional evaluation of Ficus thonningii Blume leaves as ruminant livestock feed in the Ahferom district of Tigray, Ethiopia’, African Journal of Range and Forage Science 30: 1–6 <https://doi.org/10.2989/10220119.2013.765505>.

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Adeyemi, O.A., Eruvbetine, D., Oguntona, T., Dipeolu, M. and Agunbiade, J.A. (2008) ‘Feeding broiler chicken with diets containing whole cassava root meal fermented with rumen filtrate’, Archives de Zootechinica 57: 247–58.

Agenas, S., Health, M.F. and Nixon, R.M. (2006) ‘Indicators of under nutrition in cattle’, Animal Welfare 15: 149–60.

Ajayi, D.A., Adeneye, J.A. and Ajayi, F.T. (2005) ‘Intake and nutrient utilization of West African dwarf goats fed mango (Mangifera indica), ficus (Ficus thonningii), gliricidia (Gliricidia sepium) foliages and concentrates as supplements to basal diet of guinea grass (Panicum maximum). World Journal of Agricultural Science 1(2): 184–9.

Akinwunmi, A.H, and Oke, U.K. (2002) ‘Haematological parameters and serum chemistry values of broiler finisher birds fed cooked and toasted lima bean based diets’, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 35: 294–308.

Alemede, I.C., Adama, J.Y., Ogunbajo, S.A. and Abdullahi, J. (2010) ‘Haematological parameters of savanna brown does fed varying dietary levels of flamboyant tree seed meal’, Pakistan Journal of Nutrition 9(2): 167–70.

Ameen, S.A., Adedeji, O.S., Akingbade, A.A., Olayemi, T.B., Oyedapo, L.O. and Aderinola, A. (2007) ‘The effect of different feeding regimes on haematological parameters and immune status of commercial broilers in derived savannah zone of Nigeria’, in Proceedings of the 32nd Annual Conference of the Nigerian Society for Animal Production, pp. 146–8.

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Aregheore, E.M. and Perera, D. (2004a) ‘Effects of Erythrina variegata, Gliricidia sepium and Leucaena leucocephala on dry matter intake and nutrient digestibility of maize stover, before and after spraying with molasses’, Animal Feed Science and Technology 111: 191–201.

Aregheore, E.M. and Perera, D. (2004b) ‘Effects of supplementation of a basal diet of maize stover with Erythrina variegata, Gliricidia sepium and Leucaena leucocephala on feed intake and digestibility by goats’, Tropical Animal Health Production 36: 175–89.

Arigbede, O.M., Olanite, J.A. and Bamikole, M.A. (2005) ‘Intake, performance and digestibility of West African dwarf goats supplemented with graded levels of Grevia pubescens and Panicum maximum’, Nigerian Journal of Animal Production 32: 293–300.

Babayemi, O.J., Bamikole, M.A., Daniel, I.O., Ogungbesan, A. and Babatunde, A. (2002) ‘Growth, nutritive value and dry matter degradability of three Tephrosia spp.’. Nigerian Journal of Animal Production 29: 199–206.

Babayemi, O.J., Bamikole, M.A. and Oduguwa, B.O. (2003) ‘Haematological and biochemical components of West African dwarf goats fed Tephrosia bracteolate-based forage’, Tropical Animal Investigations 6: 31–8.

Balehegn, M. and Eniang, E.A. (2009) ‘Assessing indigenous knowledge for evaluation, propagation and conservation of indigenous multipurpose fodder trees towards enhancing climate change: adaptation in Northern Ethiopia’, Traditional Forest-Related Knowledge and Sustainable Forest Management in Africa, IUFRO World Series 23, pp. 39–46.

Balehegn, M. and Hintsa, K. (2015) ‘Effect of maturity on chemical composition of edible parts of Ficus thonningii Blume (Moraceae): an indigenous multipurpose fodder tree in Ethiopia’, Livestock Research for Rural Development 27: Article #233 [online] <http://www.lrrd.org/lrrd27/12/bale27233.htm> [accessed 11 February 2019].

Balehegn, M., Eniang, E.A. and Hassen, A. (2012) ‘Estimation of browse biomass of Ficus thonningii, an indigenous multipurpose fodder tree in northern Ethiopia’, African Journal of Range and Forage Science 29: 25–30.

Bamikole, M.A. and Ikhatua, U.J. (2010) ‘Nutritional evaluation of Ficus thonningii–Panicum maximum mixtures in West African dwarf goats’, Nutrition and Food Science 40: 280–8.

Bamikole, M.A., Ikhatua, U.J., Babayemi, O.J., Arigbede, O.M., Tela, I.E. and Osagie, P. (2001) ‘Assessment of forage acceptability, some nutritive and anti-nutritive value components of Ficus species in Benin, Nigeria’, Proceedings of the 26th Annual Conference of the Nigerian Society for Animal Production, 26: 310–3.

Bamikole, M.A., Ikhatua, U.J., Arigbede, O.M., Babayemi, O.J. and Etela, I. (2004) ‘An evaluation of the acceptability as forage of some nutritive and anti-nutritive components and of the dry matter degradation profiles of five species of Ficus’, Tropical Animal Health and Production 36: 157–67.

Bawala, T.O., Adegoke, E.O., Ojekunle, A.O., Adu, I.F. and Aina, A.B.J. (2007) ‘Utilization of cassava peel and rumen epithelial waste diets by West African dwarf sheep’, ASSET Series 7(1): 168–80.

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