EFFECT OF FEEDING DIETS CONTAINING GRADED LEVELS OF SWEET POTATO (Ipomea batatas) MEAL ON MORPHOMETRIC AND EGG QUALITY TRAITS OF LOHMAN BROWN LAYERS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51791/njap.vi.4068Keywords:
Sweet potato meal, morphometric traits, egg quality traits, nutrition and breedingAbstract
The study was conducted to assess the effect of sweet potato meal on morphometric and egg quality parameters in Lohman Brown layers. A total number of thirty-six birds were housed in battery cages at the poultry section of Teaching and Research Farm of the Department of Animal Science, Bayero University Kano. Diets were formulated with varying levels of sweet potato (0%, 5%, 10%. 15%) and fed for twelve weeks. The morphometric traits were body length, wing length, neck length, back length, shank length, tight length, chest depth, heart girth and tight circumference while the egg quality traits were egg weight, egg shape index, egg diameter, egg circumference, egg length, yolk volume, albumen volume and shell weight and thickness. The results from the study showed that inclusion of potato meal in diets had a significant (p<0.05) effect on some of the traits measured; these includes, body weight, wing length, heart girth, tight length, tight circumference, egg weight, yolk volume, albumen volume and shell weight. The results revealed that sweet potato meal (SPM) can be utilized by layers at 10% to 15% level of inclusion for better performance and without any retrogressive effect, it is thereby recommended.