EFFECT OF DIETARY INCLUSION OF PURSLANE (Portulaca oleracea L.) ON YOLK OMEGA-3 FATTY ACIDS CONTENT, EGG QUALITY AND PRODUCTIVE PERFORMANCE OF RHODE ISLAND RED HENS

This study aimed to determine the effects of dietary inclusion of 100 g/kg and 200 g/kg purslane meal on yolk ω-3 fatty acids content, egg quality and productive performance in Rhode Island Red laying hens. Sixty-four hens of 30 weeks of age, with an average body weight of 2100 g, were randomly allocated into four treatments: 0 g/kg (negative control), 100 g/kg and 200 g/kg purslane meal, and 14.7 g/kg flaxseed oil (positive control) in the diet. Hens were housed in cages equipped with individual feeders and drinking troughs. They received food and water ad libitum and 18 h of light during 56 days. The inclusion of 200 g/kg purslane and 14.7 g/kg flaxseed oil in laying hens diet showed higher (P 0.05) parameters of egg quality such as egg longitudinal and transverse diameter, albumin and yolk diameter, yolk height, and yolk weight. Hens that received 200 g/kg purslane in their diet increased (P < 0.05) feed intake, egg production, egg mass, and feed conversion compared with those fed with the negative control. It was concluded that the dietary inclusion of both 100 g/kg and 200 g/kg purslane increases yolk ω-3 fatty acids content without any adverse effect on egg quality traits and productive performance of Rhode Island Red hens

Male Layer Chicken’s Response to Dietary Moringa oleifera Meal in a Tropical Climate

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of different dietary amounts of Moringa oleifera meal (MOM), consisting of leaves and small edible green stems, on growth performance, carcass traits, and blood parameters of finisher male layer-type slow-growing chickens raised with outdoor access. A total of 198 Dominant Blue D 107, 72-day-old male chickens were randomly assigned to tree dietary treatments containing 0, 30, and 60 g/kg MOM that corresponded to T1 or control, T2, and T3, separately. Each treatment was divided into 6 replicates of 11 birds apiece, and all birds had access to the outdoors. After 7 weeks of experimental rearing, live weight was 2218.1, 2164.4, and 2176.6 g for birds raised in T1, T2 and T3, respectively, without statistical differences (p ≥ 0.05). Live weight gain and daily live weight gain increased (p ≤ 0.05) in favor of the control group during the first 4 weeks but decreased (p ≤ 0.05) in the last 3 weeks of the trial. Overall feed intake was not influenced by the treatments (p ≥ 0.05). Birds raised with MOM in their diets had higher feed conversion (p ≤ 0.05). T2 diet considerably increased (p ≤ 0.05) birds’ breast and gizzard weight and yield while decreasing feet weight and yield, in comparison to T1. Dietary MOM inclusion did not impair or improve (p ≥ 0.05) blood parameters. The results of this study suggest that up to 60 g/kg MOM could be included in the diets of slow-growing Dominant Blue D 107 male chickens grown with access to outdoors without compromising their productive performance (except for feed conversion), slaughter characteristics, and health status

Composition of Slow-Growing Male Chicken&rsquo;s Meat and Bone Quality as Affected by Dietary Moringa oleifera Lam. Meal

This study investigated the impact of Moringa oleifera Lam. meal (MOM) on meat nutritional properties and bone quality of slow-growing layer-type male chickens raised in semi-intensive conditions. A total of 198, 72-d-old Dominant Blue D 107 male chickens, with an average weight of 1093 &plusmn; 15.2 g, were randomly assigned to three dietary treatments supplemented with 0, 3, and 6% of MOM that corresponded to T1, T2, and T3, respectively. Each treatment, consisting of six replicated floor pens of 11 birds, had access to the outdoors for 49 days. The results showed that breast muscle ash percentage was significantly greater (P &le; 0.05) in T2 in comparison to the T1 group. Meat dry matter, protein, and fat content were not influenced by the treatments (P &gt; 0.05). Regardless of the treatments, oleic acid (C18:1N9C) was numerically more abundant in the breast than in the leg muscle. Alternatively, femoral and tibial lengths were shorter (P &le; 0.05) in birds fed 3% MOM than the two other groups. Moreover, birds fed with MOM had greater tibial diameter (P &le; 0.05) than those that were fed without MOM. In addition, bone ash content and phosphorous amount were significantly higher (P &le; 0.05) in birds fed 6% MOM compared to those fed without MOM. The data of this study indicate that up to 6% of MOM may be added to the diet of slow-growing layer-type male chickens raised with outdoor access under tropical conditions to improve bone quality traits