Poultry Feed Formulas Based on Ingredients Indigenous to the Tropics

Abstract

Triplicate lots of Babcock 300F layers were fed each of 8 diets, a standard diet and 7 experimental diets, containing 31 to 35% rice bran, 13 to 17% copra meal, 5% molasses, 10% fish meal, 6.0 to 6.5% oyster shell, .25% bone meal, .25 to .75% vitamin mix, 0 to 30% yellow corn at 5% intervals, and 30 to 0% grass clippings at 5% intervals, so that the sum of corn and grass clippings in each diet was 30%. Each group was reared on an experimental growing diet similar in composition to its laying diet.Income over feed cost was highest for the diet containing 32.2% rice bran, 15.8% copra meal, 5% grass clippings, 25% yellow corn, 5% molasses, 10% fish meal, 6.5% oyster shell, .25% bone meal, and .25% vitamin mix.There were significant effects of treatment on growth rate, egg production, feed conversion, and egg yolk color score but not on egg weight, shell thickness, Haugh units, or mortality.