Goat farming shows an important support to the day-to-day living of small and marginal farmers in india, offering a dependable source of income, milk, meat and manure. India possesses one of the largest goat populations globally, with approximately 148.9 million goats as per the 20^th Livestock Census (2019), supporting the livelihoods of nearly 70 million farmers. Goat farming plays a crucial role in socioeconomic security due to low investment requirements and the efficient utilization of non-competitive feed resources. Barbari is a dual purpose (meat and milk), medium sized goat breed, widely known for prolificacy- fecundity, reproductive efficiency, milk yield, faster weight gain (body weight) (Singh et al., 2021). Feeding alone represents nearly 70% of the entire cost, making it the most critical economic constraint. Addressing the problem of restricted forage for goats might have a positive impact in resolution the preceding constraints. (Patil et al., 2023). There is a growing need to explore cost-effective, locally available feed resources such as tree leaves and shrubs. Moringa (Moringa oleifera) commonly called Drumstick, Horseradish or Miracle tree (Ravani et al., 2017) and Chaya (Cnidoscolus aconitifolius) have emerged as promising unconventional feed resources due to their antioxidant properties, balanced amino acid range and protein content. Because they include carotenoids, tocopherols, polyphenols, moringa leaves have a strong antioxidant potential and are especially rich in essential nutrients (Verma et al., 2009). Numerous phytonutrients are found in chaya leaves (García-Rodríguez et al., 2014). Additionally, Chaya includes a variety of major and minor minerals and vitamins (Victor et al., 2016).
       
The perennial nature of moringa and chaya guarantees a year-round supply of green fodder and many harvest cycles when incorporated into goat diets (Mendieta-Araica et al., 2011). Pellet feeding offers additional advantages by ensuring uniform nutrient intake and reducing selective feeding and wastage. There are currently few research on how the both plants interact to affect feed intake, nutritional utilization and goat performance as a whole. However scientific data on the effect of moringa and chaya mixed pellet supplementation on Barbari kids is scarce hence The study focused on determining the impact of combined moringa-chaya pellet feeding on  growth and nutrient utilization in Barbari kids.

Location and duration
 
This experiment was taken place at the Livestock Research Centre, ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal (Haryana) from February to May, 2025. All the experimental kids were handled as per the guidelines suggested by the CPSEA, India.
 
Animals, diets, feeding schedule and observations
 
The study included twenty-four Barbari kids (2-4 months old), weighed 7.48±0.53 kg and divided into three groups (T0, T1 and T2) of eight each. Experimental kids were vaccinated as per schedule of NDRI, Karnal. For ninety days, the kids were kept in a shed with good ventilation. Animals of each group were fed with their respective diets for the entire experimental period as per ICAR (2013). Three experimental diets were formulated: control pellet (T0), moringa-chaya mixed pellet at 8% (T1) and 12% (T2). Kids were fed green maize fodder ad libitum and had unrestricted access to clean water. During the experimental period, body weights were recorded fortnightly interval using the average of two consecutive morning weighing before feeding and watering. Kids body weight was measured using an electronic scale.  Daily intake was measured by reducing morning refusals from the weighed quantities of pellets and green fodder offered, which was then converted to dry matter intake (g/day).
 
Preparation of pellets with moringa and chaya leaves
 
After harvesting Chaya biomass was cut to  2-3 mm which was sun-dried for two to three days. Moringa leaf also thoroughly dried in shade until brittle to remove moisture. Next, chop or thresh the dried leaves to remove large stems, grind them into a fine powder using a grinder and then mix this meal with concentrate mixture and molasses before feeding into a pellet machine for final palletization, often incorporating a small amount (e.g., 10-20%) of the meal into the total feed mix. After drying under sunlight for a two days, the pellets were placed in large plastic boxes for feeding. Pellets for control group was prepared with concentrate mixture (92%) and molasses (8%).  Pellets for T1 group were prepared concentrate mixture (84%), molasses (8%), Chaya (4%) and Moringa (4%). Pellets for T2 group were prepared concentrate mixture (80%), molasses (8%), Chaya (6%) and Moringa (6%).
 
Digestibility study
 
A seven-day digestibility trial was carried out including a two-day adaption and a five-day collecting phase, weighed feed was provided to each kid. The actual feed intake was calculated by reducing left over from the feed provided. To estimate the chemical composition, representative samples of feed, residue and faeces were collected. Kid’s body weight was measured at the start and end of the trial.
 
Chemical analysis
 
Feedstuff, residues and faecal sample were placed in a hot air oven and left for 24 hrs to dry to a constant weight at 100!. Moisture content was determined, the samples were then ground and subjected to chemical analysis to ether extract, crude fibre, total ash, crude protein (AOAC, 2016). The fibre fraction i.e., acid detergent fibre (ADF) and neutral detergent fibre (NDF) were estimated by method developed by Van Soest et al. (1991). Nutrient composition of the feeds and feed ingredients are shown in Table 2. 
       
SPSS (Version 27.0) was used for statistical analysis, following the methodology outlined by Salcedo and McCormick (2020). Data were analyzed via a two-way ANOVA to evaluate the main effects of the treatment groups and time intervals (fortnightly), as well as their interaction. Results are presented as mean ± standard error (SE), with considerable differences between groups and time points identified through post-hoc comparisons.

Nutritional composition of treatment feeds
 
The composition of experimental feed is presented in Table 1. Dry matter content of the pellets increased marginally with higher inclusion of moringa and chaya, while organic matter content remained comparable across treatments. The  isoproteinous pellets (CP content-19.22-19.87%) are desirable for comparative feeding trials (AOAC, 2016). Ether extract content was higher in T2 pellets, indicating a modest increase in dietary energy density due to leaf meal incorporation. Slightly higher NDF and ADF contents observed in supplemented pellets may be attributed to the contribution of structural carbohydrates from moringa and chaya leaves, as commonly reported for tree leaf-based diets (Van Soest et al., 1991). Overall, incorporation of moringa and chaya leaf meal in pelleted diets maintained nutrient composition within acceptable limits and did not adversely affect the fibre profile, indicating suitability of these diets for Barbari kids.


       
Dry matter intake (DMI) increased progressively with advancement of the experimental period and was significantly influenced by dietary treatments (Table 2). Kids fed moringa and chaya mixed pellets recorded higher (P<0.05) DMI compared to the control group, with the highest intake (458.18±8.98 g/day) observed in T2 , followed by T1 (426.52±8.14) and T0 (409.09±6.5). The improved DMI in T1 and T2 groups may be accounted to better palatability and improved nutrient balance of the moringa and chaya mixed pelleted diets, which enhance rumen fermentation efficiency and rate of digesta passage (Totakul et al., 2021). The inclusion of leaves and stalk in pelleted form is known to stimulate voluntary feed intake by providing readily fermentable nutrients without adversely affecting rumen fill. Aregheore (2002) and Moyo et al. (2011) recorded increased DMI in goats fed moringa-based diets, attributing the effect to improved palatability and better nutrient composition. Similar results were reported by Asaolu et al. (2012), while Tona et al.  2014) noted increased total DMI with higher inclusion of moringa leaf meal. Although Damor et al. (2017) seen no change in DMI when moringa replaced concentrate mixture, the present study suggests that combining moringa and chaya produced a more balanced and digestible nutrient profile, improving acceptability and intake.


 
Growth performance
 
The fortnightly body weight gain of Barbari kids showed significant differences (P<0.05) among treatments (Table 3), with the highest overall mean body weight recorded in T2 (10.01 kg), followed by T1 (9.35 kg) and T0 (9.25 kg), indicating a positive response to moringa and chaya mixed pellet supplementation. The outcome of this study corroborate with other results showing the beneficial effects of moringa supplementation on growth in small ruminants as Aregheore (2002) showed differences in live weight gains in goats receiving a 20% moringa-based diet, while Sarwatt et al. (2002) observed comparable growth when moringa replaced sunflower seed cake at varying inclusion levels. Similar improvements have been documented by Moyo et al. (2011), Tona et al. (2014), Babiker et al. (2017) and Damor et al., (2017). Furthermore, Ali (2018) and Ahmed and Shaarawy (2019) demonstrated that partial replacement of conventional protein sources with moringa meal either sustained or increased growth in goats. Kumar et al., (2010) reported that replacing 75% of concentrate with chaya  meal showed no negative effect on dry matter intake or growth, while Singh et al., (2013) observed that substituting 50% of crude protein with chaya supported normal weight gain, though higher replacement levels resulted in reduced performance. The improved growth observed in the T2 group of this study may be accounted to the synergistic effects of the bioactive constituents of moringa and chaya, including high-quality protein, essential minerals, phenolics and flavonoids. These compounds likely enhanced rumen microbial activity, improved fibre degradation and facilitated more efficient nutrient assimilation.


       
The average daily gain was remarckably higher (P<0.05) in kids fed moringa and chaya mixed pellets, with T2 (58.78 g/d) and T1 (48.75 g/d) recording greater gains compared to the control group T0 (41.80 g/d) (Table 4). Similar growth-enhancing effects of Moringa supplementation have been documented by Aregheore (2002) and Sarwatt et al., (2002), supporting its role as an efficient protein source in goat diets. The superior average daily gain observed at higher supplementation levels may be attributed to increased dry matter intake and enhanced nutrient utilization, resulting in more efficient rumen fermentation and enhanced availability of metabolizable nutrients for tissue accretion.


 
Nutrient utilization
 
Digestibility coefficients for dry matter (DM) was significant (P<0.05) among supplemented groups, with higher results in T2 (62.65%) and T1 (62.03%) compared to the control group T0 (60.23%) (Table 5). The improvement in DM digestibility in supplemented groups may be attributed to enhanced rumen microbial activity resulting from the availability of high-quality proteins and readily fermentable nutrients from moringa and chaya leaves, which support efficient fibre degradation. Similar improvements in DM digestibility with moringa supplementation were reported by Aregheore (2002) and Kholif et al., (2015). Digestibility of Crude protein (CP) showed considerable values in T2 (61.67%) to T1 (61.26) and T0 (60.86%), because of more rumen degradable protein and good amino acid profile in moringa and chaya, which enhance microbial protein synthesis (Totakul et al., 2021). Wankhede (2022) demonstrated notifiable results in digestible crude protein values in kids fed moringa leaves replacing conventional protein sources. Neutral detergent fiber (NDF) digestibility differed significantly (P<0.05) among treatments, with T2 (59.89%) recording the highest value, followed by T1 (59.44%) and T0 (58.19%). Acid detergent fiber (ADF) digestibility increased considerably (P<0.05) among groups, with 41.06%, 42.87% and 43.33% in T0, T1 and T2, respectively. These findings stand with the observations of Kumar et al., (2010), whose outcomes showed improved fibre utilization in goats fed chaya containing diets.

Hence the study showed that supplementing Barbari kids diet with the moringa and chaya combined pellets improved their dry matter intake, nutrient digestibility and growth. Therefore, it is anticipated that mixing moringa and chaya in 8% and 12% inclusion level in pellet feeding will contribute to increased goat output.

The present study was supported by NDRI, Karnal.
 
Disclaimers
 
The views and conclusions expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of their affiliated institutions. The authors are responsible for the accuracy and completeness of the information provided, but do not accept any liability for any direct or indirect losses resulting from the use of this content.
 
Informed consent
 
All animal procedures for experiments were approved by the Committee of Experimental Animal Care and Handling Techniques were approved by the University of Animal Care Committee.

The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest regarding the publication of this article. No funding or sponsorship influenced the design of the study, data collection, analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.