Rapeseed Meal in the Chicken Breeder Diet.: Effects on Production, Mortality, Hatchability and Progeny

Abstract

Rapeseed meal was fed to 25-week old White Leghorn pullets and cockerels at levels of 10.5 and 19.6 percent of the diet. Control diets contained 7.0 and 12.5 percent of soybean meal respectively. The total protein supplied by the diets was 15.0 and 17.0 percent with the respective levels of rapeseed and soybean meal. The responses to the diets were studied over a 64-week period. Body weight gain, egg production and egg size were lower with the rapeseed meal diets than with the soybean meal diets. Fertility, hatchability and growth rate of progeny were similar with the two protein supplements. The rate of mortality was higher in the birds fed the rapeseed diet. Thyroid glands of the birds fed rapeseed meal were markedly hypertrophied. Thyroid glands of progeny from dams fed rapeseed meal were also hypertrophied but the condition showed remission with age.