Performance of laying pullets fed on cereal-free diets based on maize offal, cassava peel and reject cashew nut meal.
1. A 70-d experiment was conducted to determine the response of 26-week-old laying pullets to cereal-free diets based on maize offal, cassava peel and full-fat cashew nut meal (CNM) in comparison with a standard 550 g maize/kg reference diet. The 4 test diets all contained 315 g CNM/kg 232.5, 155.0, 77.5 and 0.0 g/kg of maize offal in combination with 77.5, 155.0, 232.5 and 315.0 g/kg of cassava peel, respectively. 2. Pullets fed on the 4 CNM-based diets consumed (P<0.05) less food than those fed on the reference diet; they also had lower (P<0.05) rates of lay, produced less (P<0.05) egg mass, had lower (P<0.05) food conversion efficiencies and their eggs had a lighter (P<0.05) yolk colour. Pullets fed some of the CNM-based diets also gained more (P<0.05) weight, the heaviest (P<0.05) being birds reared on the diet containing 315 g/kg cassava peel. Egg weight, shell thickness and albumen height from all eggs were similar. Pullets fed on the CNM-based diets had inferior (P<0.05) retention of dry matter and protein. 4. It was concluded that feeding full-fat CNM allowed for high dietary inclusion rates of cassava peel and maize offal and the resultant diets, which contained no maize, supported satisfactory performance of laying hens.
Onifade
A A
AA
Department of Animal Science, University of Ibadan, Nigeria.
Tewe
O O
OO
Okunola
O
O
Fanimo
A O
AO
D000821:Animal Feed; D000818:Animals; D002645:Chickens; D019662:Cucurbitaceae; D004528:Egg Shell; D004531:Eggs / Q000032:analysis / Q000592:standards; D005260:Female; D005518:Food Preferences; D009754:Nuts; D010047:Ovalbumin / Q000032:analysis; D010058:Oviposition; D003313:Zea mays
D010047:Ovalbumin