Abstract
The study was designed to evaluate the performance of pullet chicks fed graded levels of processed horse eye bean meal (HEBM) as partial replacement for soybean meal. The cracked beans were subjected to three processing methods viz: soaking in plain water for 48 hours, cooking for 90 minutes, and toasting on open fire at 100 o C after sundrying for seven (7) days. The processed beans were milled to pass through a four(4) mm mesh and used for diet formulation. Six experimental diets were formulated each at brooding and rearing phases, with diet 1 as control, while soybean meal in the control diets were replaced with the horse eye bean meal (HEBM) at 15, 30, 45, 60 and 75% in diets 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, respectively. Three hundred and sixty (360) one day-old Lohman black pullet chicks were used at brooding phase, while two hundred and seventy (270), 56 days old chicks were used during the rearing phase of the experiment. Chicks were divided into six (6) groups on weight equalization bases and groups randomly placed on one of the six diets. The feeding trials lasted for eight weeks at brooding stage and twelve weeks during rearing period. Data generated were statistically analysed using analyses of variance procedures. The results revealed that level of HEBM in the diet did not significantly influence the average daily feed intake, average daily weight gain and feed conversion ratio. Cost of feed consumed and cost per kg weight gain were significantly reduced with the inclusion of HEBM in pullet chicks’ diets. It was concluded that 45 per cent of the soybean meal could be replaced by the HEBM in diets of pullets at the chick phase while HEBM can replace 60% of the soybean meal in the pullets’ diet at rearing phase. KEYWORDS : Horse eye bean, anti-nutrients, processing techniques, pullet chicks, brooding and rearing phases.
Highlights
Intensive poultry production has been identified as one of the means of attaining animal protein sufficiency in the diet of the average Nigerian (Ani and Adiegwu 2005)
Nigeria poultry industry is facing tremendous setback and is on the verge of collapse arising from high cost of poultry feed, which accounts for 70-80% of the total cost of poultry production
Data for the performance of pullet chicks fed diet containing graded levels of processed horse eye bean meal are presented in Tables 2 and 3
Summary
Intensive poultry production has been identified as one of the means of attaining animal protein sufficiency in the diet of the average Nigerian (Ani and Adiegwu 2005). Umoren et al, (2007) had reported that raw horse eye bean did not support growth of broilers and rats This, they attributed to the presence of some anti nutritional factors which were present in the raw and cooked beans. Effiong and Umoren (2011) had recommended a multi-processing technique (combined soaking and cooking for 48 hours and 90 minutes, respectively and toasting) as processing method in eliminating the anti nutritional factors in the horse eye bean. They noted that the adopted processing methods reduced the levels of phytates, tannins, phenols, HCN and oxalates by 49, 30, 87 and 63%, respectively. The objective of this study was to determine the optimum replacement level of the soybean meal by the processed horse eye bean meal (HEBM) in the diet of pullet chicks at brooding and rearing phases
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
