Volume: 57 Issue: 3
Year: 2026, Page: 374-378, Doi: https://doi.org/10.51966/jvas.2026.57.3.374-378
Received: Feb. 28, 2026 Accepted: April 17, 2026 Published: Sept. 30, 2026
Feed cost was the major limiting factor affecting profitability in goat production systems, particularly under smallholder conditions. The present study evaluated the effect of partial replacement of concentrate mixture with hedge lucerne (Desmanthus virgatus) and mulberry (Morus alba) leaves on growth performance and techno-economics of Malabari kids. Eighteen healthy Malabari kids (four months of age) were randomly allotted to three dietary treatments: control (100% concentrate), 50% concentrate replacement and 75% concentrate replacement using equal proportions of hedge lucerne and mulberry leaves. Dry matter intake remained comparable across all treatment groups throughout the experimental period, indicating good palatability and acceptance of the experimental diets. Body weight increased progressively in all groups, and no significant differences were observed among treatments at any stage of growth. The absence of growth depression in kids receiving tree fodder-based diets suggests that hedge lucerne and mulberry leaves adequately supported nutrient requirements when used as partial substitutes for concentrate. Economic analysis revealed a marked reduction in feed cost with increased levels of concentrate replacement. The feed cost per kilogram live weight gain was economical in the 50% replacement group, indicating improved cost efficiency without compromising growth performance. Although the 75% replacement group further reduced concentrate usage, marginally lower weight gain affected overall economic returns. The findings demonstrated that replacing up to 50% of concentrate with hedge lucerne and mulberry leaves was a viable feeding strategy for Malabari kids, offering comparable growth performance along with improved economic efficiency.
Keywords: Growth performance, hedge lucerne, Malabari goats, mulberry leaves, techno economics
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© 2026 Hemanth et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited
Reddy, B. H., Suraj, P.T., Pramod, S., Balusami, C., Prasad, A. & Purushothaman, S. (2026). Effect of partial replacement of concentrate with hedge lucerne and mulberry leaves on growth performance and economics of production in Malabari kids. Journal of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, 57(3), 374-378