EVALUATION AND POTENTIAL GENERATION OF GOAT HOOF AND HORN WASTE AS PROTEIN FEEDSTUFFS

Abstract

Small ruminants especially goat is relished for its taste and aroma in human nutrition with an increase
in annual consumption figures. Inedible waste especially keratins generated from slaughter of these
animals are viewed as environmental pollutant. Further economic utilisation of the enourmous waste
will ameliorate some of the problems of its disposal. Goat of average size 25-50kg was sampled for
hoof (n=556) and horn (n=125) from two slaughter slabs with an average daily slaughter of 84 goats
including 12 purposively sampled restaurants undertaken by21 buthchers in the study area. Mean
average weight of hoof and horn are 28.89±0.18; 21.62±0.69 respectively with an annual production
21.6 tons hoof and 12.3 tons horn. Proximate analysis revealed the hoof to be higher in value than the
horn: protein (90.84±0.11; 83.39±0.36), fat (2.48±0.04; 2.36±0.02), fibre (0.71±0.03; 0.29).
Tryptophan was not detected while cysteine, histidine and methionine are limiting in the samples.
Mineral analysis indicated iron, copper, manganese and potassium to be high in goat hoof (426mg/kg;
8.40mg/kg; 5.50mg/kg; 0.19%), calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and zinc (0.09%; 0.88%; 0.40%;
61.45mg/kg) high in horn while sodium was not different among samples. The relative abundance and
nutritional value of goat hoof and horn makes it a potential feedstuff and need to utilise it in livestock
nutrition to assess its potential and effect on growth on fed livestock need be encouraged.