Comparative Performance Of Broiler Chicks fed Diets Containing Differently Processed Mucuna pruriens Seed Meals

A 28-day feeding trial was conducted to determine the effects of dietary inclusion of Mucuna seeds: soaked in Calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2) solution, soaked in Ca(OH)2 and cracked water-soaked and cooked, on the performance of broiler chicks. Two batches of raw Mucuna seeds were used. The first batch was soaked in 3% Ca(OH)2 for 48 hours. Part of the soaked seeds were sun-dried and milled. The remaining part were cooked, sun-dried and milled. The second batch was cracked, soaked in water for 48 hours and cooked before sun drying and milling. Both meals were analyzed for their proximate composition and included in broiler starter diets at 20% dietary level respectively. The control diet contained no mucuna meal. Each diet was fed to a group of 40 broiler chicks in a completely randomized design replicated four times. At 20% dietary level containing Ca(OH)2 soaked seed meal significantly (P<0.05) depressed the performance of the birds in terms of feed intake, growth rate and feed conversion ratio. However. soaking in Ca(OH)2 prior to cooking and cracking prior to soaking in water and cooking did not adversely affect the performance of the birds in all parameters measured.Keywords: Mucuna pruriens seed, water soaked, Ca(OH)2 soaked, feed intake, growth rate, feed conversion ratio

Effect Of Dietary Raw, Cooked And Toasted Mucuna Pruriens Seeds (Velvet Bean) On The Performance Of Finisher Broilers

A 5-week feeding trial was conducted to determine the effect or dietary raw, cooked and toasted Mucuna pruriens seeds (velvet bean) on the performance of finisher broilers. Raw Mucuna pruriens seeds contained 30.3% crude protein. At 10% dietary level, raw and toasted Mucuna pruriens seed meals significantly (P < 0.05) depressed growth rate of broilers. At 20% dietary level, cooked Mucuna pruriens seed meal also significantly (P < 0.05) depressed growth rate of the birds. Feed intake was also significantly (P < 0.05) reduced at 20% and 10% dietary levels of cooked and toasted meals, respectively. The feed intake of the group on 10% raw Mucuoa diet remained unexpectedly high.Keywords: Mucuna pruriens seeds, broilers, feed intake, growth rat

Performance of starting broiler chicks on sandbox (Hura crepitans) seed meal

A 21-day feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the feeding value of raw and cooked Sand box (Hura crepitans) seed meal for broiler chickens . Sand box seeds (100kg) were divided into two batches, the first batch was milled raw undicorticated with a hammer mill to produce raw sandbox meal, the second batch was cooked for 60 minutes also undicorticated, sun dried for 48 hours and milled with a hammer mill to produce cooked sandbox meal. Five broiler starter diets were formulated to contain raw and cooked sand box seed meal at 0%, 5% and 10% dietary levels respectively. Two hundred and twenty five (225) 14-day old broiler chicks of Marshal breed were divided into five groups of forty five(45) birds each. Each group was further divided into three (3) replicates of fifteen (15) birds each and randomly assigned to the five treatment diet in a completely randomized design (CRD). Data were collected on feed intake, body weight gain and feed conversion ratio. Dietary treatments significantly (P<0.05) influenced feed intake and body weight gain but had no effect( P>0.05) on feed conversion ratio. The results of these studies suggests that sand box (Hura crepitans) seed meal could enhance the performance of broiler starter chicks at 10% (raw) and 5% (cooked) dietary levels.Keywords: Sandbox seed meal, Broiler starter, performanc

Evaluation of processed velvet beans (Mucuna pruriens) meal in the diet of laying hens

Les effets de la complémentation alimentaire à base de pois Mucuna de 20, 25 et 30% craqué, trempé et cuits (CSCM) sur la production d’oeufs, la qualité d’oeuf et le poids des organes ont été étudiés chez des pondeuses âgées 12 mois. Les pois traités ont été ajoutés à la ration des pondeuses à base du maïs et du soja, nourris ad libitum pour une période de 12 semaines. Tous les régimes alimentaires à base Mucuna ont conduit auxréductions lineaires de la production chez les pondeuses – production journalière chez les poules nourries avec du CSCM à 20, 25, et 30% ont connu une réduction respective de 9,3, 13,9 et 17,5% par rapport aux poules témoins (0% CSCM). Quant au poids des oeufs, il a augmenté de manière proportionnelle (

Phytochemical and Nutritional Evaluation of Raw and Fermented Alchornea cordifolia seed meals on the performancce of Broiler Chicks.

Phytochemical and feeding values of raw and fermented Alchornea cordifolia seed meals were investigated. Raw and fermented seed meals were screened for some phytochemical compounds and also tested on the performance of starter broilers. The meals were included in broiler starter diets at 10% raw and, 10 and 20% fermented, respectively. The diets were fed from 0-28 days of age. Raw Alchornea seed meal contains phytic acids, tannins, saponins, cardiac glycosides, steroids, flavnoids, alkaloids and anthraquinone. Fermenting the seed meal caused 56.2% reduction in the phytic acid content and totally eliminated its anthraquinone content. With 10% raw Alchornea seed meal, broilers grew significantly slower, gained 60.1% of control but feed intake was not statistically different. Inclusion of 10% fermented meal resulted in better weight gain, and feed conversion ratio than the raw seed meal and by 28-days, weight gain, feed intake and feed conversion ratio were not statistically different from the control. At 20% dietary level, fermented Alchornea seed meal, promoted much better growth and efficiency than raw but the values were less (p<0.05) than control. It is concluded therefore that fermentation partially destroyed the anti-nutritional factors present in Alchornea seeds; thus allowing successful use of 10% fermented seed meal in starter broiler rations. Higher level of the fermented seed meal reduced performance although the result was much better than in the raw seed meal. Keywords: Alchornea seed, fermentation, toxic factors, broilers, performanc

Biochemical and microbial qualities of raw, boiled and fermented Mucuna pruriens (velvet bean)

The proximate compositions of raw, boiled and fermented velvet bean (Mucuna pruriens) as well as the microbial flora responsible for the fermentation were investigated. The raw seeds contained 29.40% crude protein, 8.92%, crude fiber, 4.65% crude fat, 5.14% ash and 39.8% carbohydrates. Ordinary boiling of the seeds for 30mins, 45 and 60 minutes at 96 0C decreased the crude protein contents to 29.35, 28.00 and 27.98%, while fermentation of the seeds for 1, 2, 3, and 4 days increased the protein contents to 29.60, 29.75, 30.80 and 31.00% respectively. The bacteria (Bacillus spp, Staphylococcus spp.) and fungi (Saccharomyces spp, Rhizopus spp.) were found to be responsible for the fermentative activities. Animal Production Research Advances Vol. 2(2) 2006: 108-11

Evaluation of raw and cooked pigeon pea seed meal as feed ingredient for weaner pigs.

EVALUATION DE LA FARINE DE GRAINES DE POIS DE CAJAN CRUE ET CUITE COMME INGREDIENT DES ALIMENTS POUR DES PORCS AU SEVRAGE Résumé Une étude a été menée pendant 42 jours pour évaluer la performance des porcs au sevrage nourris de farine de graines de pois de cajan (Cajanus cajan) crue et cuite. Trois rations expérimentales pour les porcs à la croissance ont été formulées. La ration 1 (ration- témoin) ne contenait pas de farine de graines de pois de cajan (0% FGP), tandis que les rations 2 et 3 contenaient respectivement 20% de farine de graines de pois de cajan crue et cuite. Chacune de ces rations était servie à raison de 5% du poids vif pendant les trois premières semaines et à raison de 7% du poids vif durant les trois dernières semaines de l'étude, à huit porcs au sevrage âgés de dix semaines pesant entre 6,57 kg et 7,10 kg dans un dispositif expérimental complètement randomisé. Les résultats obtenus montraient une forte baisse (P0,05) à ceux soumis à la ration-témoin. Le coût alimentaire/kg de gain pondéral pour les porcs soumis à la ration-témoin était beaucoup (

Effect of graded dietary levels of Garcinia Kola seed meal on performance, intestinal microbial load, haematological and serum biochemical profile of rabbits.

Effect of dietary Garcinia kola seed meal (GKSM) (bitter kola) on the performance, microbial activities and blood constituents of rabbits were investigated. Four rabbit grower mash were prepared such that diet T0 (control) contained no Garcinia kola seed meal while diets T1, T2 and T3 contained 2.5%, 5.0% and 7.5% Garcinia kola seed meal, respectively, partly replacing maize. Each diet was fed to a group of 9 grower rabbits for 56 days, in completely randomized design (CRD) experiment. Each group was further subdivided into three replicates of 3 rabbits each. Faecal samples were collected from four rabbits per treatment at the first and last weeks of the experiment and used to determine intestinal microbial load of the rabbits. At the end of the feeding trial, blood samples were randomly collected from four rabbits per treatment and used to determine heamatological and serum biochemical profile of the rabbits. Body weight gain, daily body weight gain and feed conversion ratio (g feed/g gain) of the groups on GKSM diets decreased significantly (P < 0.05) while the feed intake increased (P < 0.05). GKSM had no significant effects (P<0.05) on the parasite, cysts of Isospora belli, but significantly eradicated Salmonella and Streptococcus species. Haematological indices (RBC, HB, PCV, MCV, MCHC, MCH, WBC and platelets) were not affected by the treatments (P > 0.05). There were no traces of eosinophils, basophils and monocytes. Biochemical indices (serum cholesterol, serum protein, serum albumin, serum globulin) were also not significantly affected (P > 0.05) by the treatments. The glucose levels of GKSM fed groups were significantly (P < 0.05) reduced. The electrolytes (potassium, sodium and chloride) as well as calcium and bicarbonate levels were not affected by the treatments (P > 0.05). Cost of production (N/Kg gain) was highly increased with increase in dietary GKSM.Keywords: Diets, Garcinia kola, grower rabbits, performance

The performance and egg quality characteristics of layers fed diets containing graded levels of Garcinia kola seed meal

Effects of dietary Garcinia kola meal (bitter kola) on the performance and egg quality characteristics of laying hens were investigated. Four layers diets were made such that diet T0 (control) contained no Garcinia kola meal while diets T2.5, T5.0 and T7.5 contained 2.5%, 5.0% and 7.5% Garcinia kola meal, respectively. Each diet was fed to a group of 30 laying hens at 30 weeks of laying life for 84 days, using completely randomized design (CRD). Each group was further sub-divided into three replicates of 10 hens each. The layers on T2.5 and T5.0 diets added significantly (P < 0.05) less body weight than those on T0 and T7.5 diets. There were no significant differences in their feed intake (P > 0.05). T2.5 significantly (P < 0.05) depressed hen-day egg production but enhanced egg weight. Feed conversion ratio (g feed/ g egg) was not affected by the treatments (P > 0.05). Egg quality indices (egg shape index, egg specific gravity, Haugh unit, egg shell thickness, albumen index and yolk index) were not affected by the treatments (P > 0.05). Egg shell index was significantly (P<0.05) enhanced by Garcinia kola meal. At 2.5% level, it significantly enhanced percent albumin and reduced percent yolk (P<0.05). Cost of egg production (N/kg eggs) was adversely increased as the level of Garcinia kola meal increased.Key words: Egg production, egg quality, Garcinia kola, laying hens

Chemical composition and nutritional value of boiled Christmas bush fruit (Alchornea cordifolia) meal fed to starter broiler chickens

A study was conducted to determine the chemical composition and the nutritive value of boiled Christmas bush (Alchornea cordifolia) for starter broiler chickens. Dried Christmas bush fruits (Capsules + seed) were boiled for 30 minutes, sundried and ground into meal. The meal was analyzed for proximate composition and anti-nutritional factors and incorporated into broiler starter diet at 0%, 15%, 20% and 25% respectively. A total of 120 day old Marshall Strain broiler chicks were divided into 12 pens each containing 10 birds. Three pens were randomly assigned to each experimental diet. The boiled dried and ground Christmas bush (Alchornea cordifolia) fruit contained 19.9% crude protein and 4.7 mg/100 phytic acids which is an improvement when compared with raw Christmas bush fruits. Increase in inclusion level of boiled Christmas bush fruit in the diet caused a progressive reduction (p < 0.05) in final weight gain and feed intake of the birds. Birds on 15 and 20% BCBF had similar (p> 0.05) feed conversion ration ratio with birds on control diet. The cost of feed per Kg weight gain and mortality were not significantly (p> 0.05) different for all the treatments. Apart from Haemoglobin and serum phosphate, all other serum biochemical indices checked were not statistically (p> 0.05) different among the treatment groups. It was concluded that boiling of Christmas bush fruits decreased the anti-nutritional factors and improved the nutritive value of the fruit but could not improve the performance of broiler starter chickens.Keywords: Broiler starter, christmas bush, chemical composition, anti-nutritional facto