Immune And Oxidative Stress Indices of Yankassa Rams Fed Diets Containing Urea-Molasses Treated Cassava Peel Ensiled with Caged-Layer Droppings

Abstract

This study evaluated the immune and oxidative stress responses of sheep fed diets containing urea-molasses treated cassava peels ensiled with caged layer droppings. The trial was conducted at Morugo Farms and Co-farms Greenaid Revolution Teaching and Research Farm, Abuja. A total of twenty-one clinically healthy Yankassa sheep, aged 6 to 7 months, were randomly assigned to dietary treatments in a completely randomized design and monitored over a 63-day feeding period. Daily feed intake was recorded, and physiological parameters were assessed to determine treatment effects. Key indicators of immune function—namely immunoglobulins G, A, and M—and metabolic hormones such as triiodothyronine (T3) showed no significant differences (P > 0.05) across all treatment groups compared to the control. Similarly, antioxidant markers, including superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione reductase (GR), and total antioxidant capacity (TAC), remained unaffected by dietary treatments. Additionally, biomarkers of oxidative stress, such as malondialdehyde (MDA) and cortisol, were not significantly altered (P > 0.05), even at 25% and 50% replacement levels of the ensiled cassava peels diet. In conclusion, replacing conventional feed components with urea-molasses treated cassava peels ensiled with caged layer droppings up to 50% had no detrimental effects on immune status or oxidative stress responses in sheep. These findings support the use of this alternative feed resource within recommended nutritional standards for small ruminants, offering a sustainable and cost-effective option for improving feed availability without compromising animal health or performance.