title: Growth and subsequent egg production performance of shika-brown pullets fed graded levels of cooked Lablab purpureus beans.
abstract: The lablab seeds were cooked for 30 min, sundried for three days and thereafter milled and incorporated into chickens' diets. Six treatments, comprising of six dietary levels of lablab at 0.0, 7.5, 15.0, 22.5, 30.0 and 37.5%, respectively was fed during the grower's phase. Results obtained for the growers phase indicate that final weight (g/bird), weight gain (g/bird) and feed cost (N kg(-1)) decreased significantly (p < 0.05) as the level of lablab increased in the diet. Feed intake (g/bird and g/bird/day) as well as feed cost (N/bird) and total cost (N/bird) also decreased significantly (p < 0.05) as the level oflablab increased in the diet up to 22.5% inclusion level before increasing as the level of lablab in the diets continued to increase. The level of lablab in the diet had no effect on mortality throughout the experimental period. In addition haematological parameters such as Packed Cell Volume (PCV), Haemoglobin (Hb) and Total Protein (TP) were not significantly (p < 0.05) affected by feeding diets containing graded levels of cooked lablab beans to pullets. Results obtained during the laying phase indicates that feeding lablab seed meal up to 22.5% in the diets at the growers stage had no significant adverse effect (p < 0.05) on final weight, feed intake, feed efficiency, percent henday and henhoused egg production, percent production at peak, kilogramme feed per twelve eggs, feed cost per twelve eggs, Haugh Unit and yolk index. However, age of birds at first egg, age at 50% production and age at peak egg production were increased significantly (p > 0.05) with increase in the level of lablab seed meal in the growers diets.
authors.affiliation: National Animal Production Research Institute, Ahmadu Bello University, Shika, Zaria.
authors.forename: F O
authors.initials: FO
authors.lastname: Abeke
authors.forename: S O
authors.initials: SO
authors.lastname: Ogundipe
authors.forename: A A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Sekoni
authors.forename: I I
authors.initials: II
authors.lastname: Dafwvang
authors.forename: I A
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Adeyinka
authors.forename: O O
authors.initials: OO
authors.lastname: Oni
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Abeke
mesh_terms: D000821:Animal Feed; D000824:Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D000818:Animals; D002645:Chickens / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D003296:Cooking; D004435:Eating; D004531:Eggs; D007887:Fabaceae / Q000737:chemistry*; D005260:Female; D015430:Weight Gain