The use of feather and offal meal to replace mainly soyabean meal in a fishmeal-free basal diet for caged layers and the effect of the addition of methionine to the basal diet.

Abstract

AbstractAn experiment is described in which feather and offal meal was used at levels of 0, 2.6, 5.2 and 7.8 and 10.4% to replace soyabean meal and at a level of 14.0% to replace both soyabean meal and meal and bone meal in a non‐fish meal containing control diet fed to light hybrid caged layers.Replacement of the soyabean meal by feather and offal meal did not adversely affect total or mean egg weight up to the 7.8% level of addition. The efficiency of utilisation of metabolisable energy (ME) for egg production was adversely affected at the higher levels of addition.The addition of 0.07% DL‐methionine to the control diet resulted in a statistically significant improvement in percentage production, total egg weight and efficiency of ME utilisation.Mould growth occurred in stored feather and offal meal when the dry matter content was below about 90%.The proximate, Ca, P and amino‐acid analyses of the feather and offal meal are presented.