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Dairy/Beef Cattle Research Station

The Station which was established in 1974 is a teaching and research facility for the Faculty of Agriculture.  It stocks cattle, sheep, goats and rabbits for research purposes.  The main research areas are livestock production and dairy processing. 

Research

  • The following research programmes were completed in the year under review.
  • Effect of moringa leaf meal (MOLM) on nutrients digestibility, growth, carcass and blood indices of weaner rabbits.
  • Effect of millet residue meal based diets on the reproductive performance of mixed-breed domestic rabbits in a tropical environment.
  • Shea nut cake in supplemental concentrates for growing Djallonke rams fed a basal diet of rice straw and groundnut haulms in the dry season.
  • The Station’s on-going research programmes include the following.
  • Household consumption of rabbit meat in the Ayigya community in Kumasi.
  • A study on drinking yoghurt using different levels of sodium benzoate as a preservative.
  • Feed intake and growth performance of adolescent female rabbits fed diets containing a blended leaf meal of Chromoleana odorata, Gliricidia sepium and Leucauna leucocephala.
  • The nutritive value of Gliricidia sepium, Leucaena leucocephala and Chromoleana odorata in the diets of weaner rabbits.

Publications

The following publications were made in the course of the year.

  1. Karikari, P.K. and K. Asare (2009).  An economic analysis of a smallholder meat rabbit production system.  Journal of Applied Sciences Research, 5 (8): 969-973.
  2. http://www.insipub.com/jasp/2009/969-973.pdf.
  3. Blasu, E.K., P.K. Karikari, A.B.J. Aina, D. Dosoo and K. Kayan (2009).  The effects of nutritional flushing on the premating metabolic and endocrine profiles of does.  Ghanaian Journal of Animal Science, 4 (1): 59-67.
  4. Karikari, P.K. and G. Darkoh (2009).  Effect on reproductive characteristics of rabbit feeds containing fish meal, soybean meal or fish-soybean meal combination (1:2) as protein source.  Proceedings 16th Biennial Conference of Ghana Society of Animal Production, pp 28-33.
  5. Karikari, P.K. and G. Darkoh (2009).  Millet residue meal as a feed source to promote smallholder rabbit production.  Paper presented at the 3rd Ghana IDRC Developmental Universities Seminar, 20 August 2009, College of Engineering Guest House, KNUST, Kumasi. 

Community Service

The Station continued to provide technical assistance to farmers and would-be farmers in the field of livestock production.  Several people, including students, were taught yoghurt production in the course of the year. Some final year students of the Department of Animal Science of this University were assisted to undertake their project work at the Station. Also, several second cycle institutions paid educational visits to the Station during the year under review. The Station provided extension advice to livestock farmers and yoghurt producers during the year.  It also extended its yoghurt market beyond the confines of the University.  Several agents were secured for this purpose.