PERFORMANCE OF LAYERS FED AFLATOXINS B1-CONTAMINATED DIETS WITH OR WITHOUT Psidium guajava LEAF MAEAL

Abstract

This study evaluated the effects of P. guajava leaf meal (PGLM) performance of laying hens fed diets contaminated with aflatoxin B1 (AFB1). A total of 300 point of lay Isa Brown hens were assigned to 4 treatments designated diets A -positive control (basal diet), B (basal diet + 1 mg AFB1/kg), C (diet B + 5g PGLM/kg, and D (diet B + 10g PGLM/kg diet). Each treatment was replicated 5 times with15 pullets/replicate in a completely randomized design. At the end of the 16 weeks feeding trials; total weight gain (TWG), egg mass (EG), hen day production percentage (%HDP) and net feed efficiency index (NFEI) were significantly (P<0.05) lower in hens fed diet B while feed conversion ratio (FCR) was high significantly (P<0.05) in hens fed diet B (AFB1-contaminated diet) than all other treatments. Hens fed diet C and D showed better performance in most of the parameters. The potential of the P. gaujava leaf meal to ameliorate the impact of the toxin, however, increased with increase in the PGLM concentrations. The findings of the study indicated the potential of PGLM to ameliorate aflatoxin B1 inducedoxidative stress with increase in the concentration of PGLM supplementation.