Effect of Varying Levels of Complete Ration on Rumen Microbial Population, Rumen pH and Lipid Profile of West African Dwarf Goats

This study investigated the effects of varying levels of complete ration on rumen microbial population, rumen pH, and serum lipid profile of West African Dwarf (WAD) goats. Thirty WAD goats of both sexes, approximately four months of age and weighing 4–6 kg, were used in a 12-week feeding trial following a 7-day acclimatization period. The animals were randomly allotted to five dietary treatment groups in a completely randomized design, with six animals per treatment and three replicates of two animals each. Complete ration was offered at 3.2, 3.4, 3.6, 3.8, and 4.0% of body weight (T1–T5, respectively). At the end of the feeding period, rumen fluid and blood samples were collected for microbial, rumen-pH, and lipid-profile assessments. The reported microbial measures differed significantly (P<0.05) among dietary treatments. Rumen pH was significantly affected at 3 h after feeding (P<0.05), but not at 6, 9, 12, or 24 h (P>0.05). Triglyceride and LDL concentrations were not significantly affected by treatment, whereas HDL and total cholesterol differed significantly (P<0.05). The findings indicate that the feeding level of complete ration altered selected rumen microbial measures and serum lipid indices, while effects on rumen pH were largely confined to the early post-feeding period. Because the original project reports that one animal per treatment was sampled for rumen-fluid and blood measurements, the inferential statistics for those outcomes should be independently verified against the original laboratory dataset before publication.