THE VALUE OF DRIED AFRICA LOCUST BEAN PULP FOR THE FOWL

Abstract

Locally obtained dried pulp of the fruit of African locust bean (Parka filicoidea) was included at the rates of 2.5, 5.0, 7.5, 10.0%, at the expense of maize , in the diets of chicks and of pullets whose basal diets contained 25.5% and 18.0% respectively. The chicks were White Rock X Cornish (WRXC)and the Nigeria indigenous (Ind.). The six week body weight of the chicks were reduced to 648.2g (WRXC) on 2.5% and 425.3g (Ind.) on 5.0% dietary pulp, pulp. Beyond thee respective dietary levels of pulps, the body weight of the strains were significantly (P < 0.05) depressed. The feed conversion ration (2.8 – 3.1) mortality (1.7 – 2.5%), nitrogen retention (59.7 – 69.5) of the chicks and the metabolizable energy of the diets, (12.1 -12.9 MJ/kg., ME) were not significantly (P > 0.05) affected by dietary treatments. However, the better values with these traits were associated with the basal diets and were in respect of the WRXC chicks. The hen day production, egg weight and liveweight gain of the layers were significantly (P < 0.05) depressed when dietary pulp attained 7.5% (50.8%), 10.0% (53.5g) and 10.0% (132.1g) respectively. The yolk colour score (9 - 14) was significantly (P < 0.05) improved at 7.5 – 15.0% dietary pulp while feed conversion ration (2.7 – 4.9) and Haugh Unit (76.1 – 78.1) were not significantly (P > 0.05) affected by dietary treatment. The price of the pulp in relation to that of maize suggested that it was economic to replace maize to at least 2.5%and 5.0% in the diets of chicks and of the layers respectively