Growth performance and carcass traits of indigenous Nigerian guinea fowl fed on different dietary protein levels

Objective: This work examined the results of different dietary protein levels on indigenous Nigerian guinea fowl growth performance and carcass yield. Materials and methods: One hundred and eight unsexed indigenous keets were randomly assigned to three treatments with experimental diets containing 22%, 24%, and 26% crude protein (CP) in a completely randomized design, with 3 replicates with 12 keets in each replicate. The parameters were measured, including proximate composition, feed intake, growth rate, feed conversion ratio (FCR), and carcass yield. Results: The birds fed diets containing 24% CP gained the most body weight at 619.83 gm and had the highest FCR of 3.45. The presence of CP had an impact that was significant (p < 0.05) on most carcass traits and prime cuts but not on gastrointestinal tract weight, head weight, dress percentage, or organ yield. Conclusion: The study concluded that the dietary CP level of 24% was optimal for body weight gain and carcass yield

Growth performance and blood profile of weaned rabbits fed graded levels of Hevea brasiliensis seed meal as protein source

A ten-week investigation was undertaken to assess the incorporation of Hevea brasilliensis seed meal (RSM) as an alternative to soyabean meal (SBM) in rabbits’ feed. Sixty kit rabbits were distributed at random to four treatments diets and five rabbits replicate in a completely randomized design (CRD). The diets consistof a control diet (0% RSM) as well as three experimental diets,containing 25%, 50% and 75% RSM. Results showed that RSM affected (P 0.05) up to 50% SBM replacement, while feed conversion ratio (FCR) were similar (P > 0.05) across the replacement levels. The highest weight gain and best FCR were observed in diets containing 50% and 25% RSM respectively. The highest values of packed cell volume PCV), haemoglobin (Hb), white blood cells (WBC), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), and mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH), were noted in Diet 4 (75% RSM). The total protein increased with an increased level of RSM in the diet, while as RSM in the diet increased, the liver enzymes dropped. In conclusion, RSM could effectively replace 50% SBM as protein ingredient in growing rabbits’ diets

Principal component and stepwise discriminant analysis of the morphometric traits of three dual-purpose breeds of chicken

Using the principal component procedure of SAS, 10 variables; body weight (BW), body length (BL), breast girth (BG), shank length (SL), thigh length (TL), comb length (CL), comb height (CH), wing length (WL), wattle length (WAL) and wattle thickness (WT) obtained from three dual-purpose chicken breeds (Shika, Kuroiler, and Sasso), variables were separated. Similarly, stepwise discriminant analsis procedure of the SAS software was employed to evaluate variables that contribute to the overall differences in breeds. Results showed three principal components (PC1, PC2 and PC3) were extracted for all the breeds and pooled data. 45.60% of total variance was accounted for by PC1, 28.17% by PC2 and 16.22% by PC3. The principal components partitioning of total variance were 50.80, 15.10 and 9.70%, 50.82, 19.90 and 14.90%, and 48.63, 14.00 and 12.67% for Shika, Kuroiler, and Sasso breeds respectively, with different factor loadings. Communalities ranged from 0.43-0.97, 0.45-0.83, 0.45-0.88 and 0.45-0.90, indicating that a good amount of variance was accounted for. Stepwise discriminant analysis indicated that seven morphometric traits, TL, SL, WAL, WL, CL, CH and BL, contributed significantly (P&lt;0.001) to the separation of the birds into breeds. TL and SL, however, indicated higher discriminating power compared to others. The principal component analysis allowed for better understanding of the complex correlations among traits and reduced the number of traits along with high communalities, using only PC1, PC2 and PC3the first three PCs, without loss of information. Summary of stepwise discriminant analysis shows that lengthwise measures of long bones of the body of chickens, such as thigh and shank, are viable metrics for phenotypic differentiation of birds in the studied population.Keywords: Principal Component, Stepwise discriminant Analysis, Morphometric traits, chicken

Evaluation of the nutritive values of the leaves of three common trees in Landmark University as potential feed resources in poultry

The nutritional value of the leaves of three popular tree species in Landmark University Omu Aran, North Central of Nigeria were investigated with the aim of incorporating them into poultry feed. The leaves are those of Moringa oleifera, Parkia biglobosa and Anacardium occidentalis. The accepted techniques for analysis of the Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC) was employed in this study. The result showed that all of the leaves had substantial levels of crude protein (10.27–24.75%), nitrogen free extract (40.92–76.33%), and ash (8.33–13.22%), but low levels of ether extract (2.01–3.15%). The ten minerals and nine amino acids analysed for were present in all the leaves. Phytate, alkaloid and tannin were lowest in Parkia biglobosa with the respective values of 4.0, 0.2 and 5.6 mg/g; Moringa oleifera has the lowest saponin (0.95 mg/g) and cyanide (0.94 mg/g) while the lowest value of oxalate (27.0 mg/g) was observed in Anacardium occidentalis leaves. Highest values for phytate (2.15 mg/g), alkaloid (4.02 mg/g), oxalate (0.38 mg/g) and tannin (1.83 mg/g) were observed in Moringa oleifera; highest values for saponin (6.13 mg/g) and cyanide (1.38 mg/g) were observed in Anacardium occidentalis and Parkia biglobosa respectively. The study's findings demonstrated that the leaves of these trees generally high nutrient levels, making them possible acceptable substitute ingredients for chicken feed

INFLUENCE OF GRADED LEVELS OF INSTANT NOODLE WASTE IN THE DIETS ON THE PERFORMANCE, CARCASS TRAITS AND HAEMATOLOGY OF BROILER CHICKENS

An eight week feeding trial was conducted to assess the replacement value of instant noodle waste meal (INW) on the performance characteristic, carcass and haematological parameters of broiler chickens. Ninety, one-day old Anak 2000 chicks were randomly allocated to three treatment groups namely, diet 1 (0% INW), diet 2 (50% INW) and diet 3 (100% INW) in a completely randomized design (CRD). Each treatment group had three replicates of ten chicks each. The inclusion of instant noodle in the diet did not have significant (P>0.05) effect on the performance of the broiler chickens at both starter and finisher phases. The inclusion of instant noodle waste had no significant (P>0.05) effect on the carcass traits and organ weights in broiler chickens. No significant (P>0.05) effect was observed for the packed cell volume, hematocrit, haemoglobin, leucocytes, and mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration among the treatments. However, mean corpuscular volume and mean corpuscular haemoglobin were significantly (P< 0.05) influenced by the instant noodles inclusion, in the diets. Based on the present results INW could replace maize fraction of the diet partially or wholly without any adverse effect on performance, carcass and health status of broiler chickens

Incidence, Diagnosis and Treatment of Atresia Ani at Landmark University

Atresia ani has become a major clinical disease in Livestock especially pigs, cattle and small ruminants. It is a condition which do not often occur but requires a dogged approach in treating affected animals. Atresia ani is a congenital embryological condition that often suffice when the hindgut refuses to connect with the perineum for the proper discharge of muconium. In this study, a three-day-old calf was observed to be suffering from Atresia ani at the Landmark University Teaching and Research farm. This condition was obvious due to the inability of the calf to pass out faeces since parturition. The calf was operated on using standard clinical and surgical practices and also putting into consideration the Animal Welfare principles. The result from the surgical procedure showed that there was a massive improvement in defecation and general performance of the calf after the third day. Furthermore, there was no complication reported in the calf after fifteen days (15) of the procedure. This result shows that Atresia ani can be properly managed at the Landmark University Teaching and Research farm. This affirms the ability of the Institution to promote standard practices in Livestock Production Management

Antimicrobial potentials of mucus mucin from different species of giant African land snails on some typed culture pathogenic bacteria

The study aims at evaluating the antibacterial activities of mucus mucin from three species of the giant African land snails; Archachatina marginata, Achatina achatina, and Achatina fulica. Snail slime was collected from forty-five snails comprising the three species of snails from the southwestern region of Nigeria. The antibacterial potential and bacteria growth rate (in hours) of the mucus mucin were determined using agar well diffusion method and liquid broth. Acetic acid (acid), ammonium bicarbonate (alkaline), and water (aqueous) were each used to extract the slime. The result showed that mucus secretions from the three snail species differed in color, degree of the sliminess, and volume. Snail mucus extract had antimicrobial effects on gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. The inhibitory effects of mucus extracts differed depending on the treatment method and storage time, with acid extracts having a higher inhibitory capacity regardless of snail species or storage time. A. marginata's mucus secretions had a stronger antibacterial activity against Bacillus subtilis when compared to mucus from A. achatina and A. fulica. The zone of inhibition of the mucus mucin in solid agar ranged between 24.0–19.5mm for A. marginata and ranged between 21.0-17.5mm and 21.0–15.0mm for A. achatina and A. fulica, within 2-72 storage hours). Mucus mucin seems to lose its antibacterial potential with time; however, the antibacterial capability of the giant African snail species could provide the much-needed solution to antibiotic resistance

EFFECTS OF PALM KERNEL CAKE SUPPLEMENT ON FATTY ACID PROFILE AND MILK COMPOSITION OF LACTATING WAD GOATS FED GRASS SILAGE

The scarcity of quality feed and cost-effective supplements necessitates verifiable concentrate as a supplement for goat milk production. Palm Kernel Cake (PKC), an oil palm by-product rich in protein and energy, gradually replaced Prepared Concentrate (PC) in this study. This replacement's impact on milk composition and fatty acid profile in lactating WAD goats fed grass silage basal diet was assessed. Five supplement concentrates with varying PC: PKC ratios (100:0, 75:25, 50:50, 25:75, 0:100) were fed to 25 lactating WAD goats in a randomized setting of 5 animals per group. The replacement significantly affected (p<0.05) milk fat, protein, specific gravity, ash, and fat-corrected milk. The highest milk fat (2.17%) came from 100%PKC supplementation, while the lowest (0.77%) came from 25% PKC. Total solid fat values were not significantly affected. Fat Corrected Milk results mirrored the milk fat trend. The 100%PKC group had the highest crude protein (8.22%), while 25% and 75%PKC were not different (p<0.05). Fatty acid profile, expressed as total Fatty Acid Methyl Esters (FAMEs) g/kg, showed increased medium and long-chain fatty acids as PC was replaced. In conclusion, 100% PKC supplementation enhanced milk fat, while 50% PC replacement increased long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in goat mil