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Published:
Aug 2, 2007DOI:
10.4314/as.v6i1.1560Keywords:
Castor oil bean meal L-lysine broiler finishers effects performance
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Effects of graded levels of dehulled and cooked caster oil bean (Ricinus communi L) meal and supplementary L-Lysine on performance of broiler finishers
Abstract
ABSTRACT
One hundred and forty-four commercial unsexed broiler finishers (Anak strain) were used in an experiment to investigate the effects of dehulled and cooked castor oil bean (Ricinus communis L) meal supplemented with L-lysine on growth performance and certain blood parameters of broiler finishers. The birds were randomly divided into 12 groups of 12 birds each and fed 12 isocaloric (12.13 MJ of ME/kg) and isonitrogenous (21% CP) diets for 4 weeks in a 4 x 3 factorial arrangement involving four levels (0,10,15 and 20%) of delulled and cooked castor oil bean meal (CBM) and three L-lysine levels (0,0.25 and 0.5%). Results revealed that body weight at 10 weeks, average daily weight gain (ADWG), average daily feed intake (ADFI), feed conversion ratio (FCR), protein efficiency ratio (PER), packed cell volume (PCV) and haemoglobin concentration (Hb) differed significantly (P<0.05) among treatments. Body weight at 10 weeks. ADWG, ADFI, feed conversion efficiency and PER declined significantly (P<0.05) with the increasing levels of CBM in the diets. PCV and Hb were not adversely affected by increasing levels of CBM in the diets. There were also significant differences (P<0.05) among treatments in apparent retention (% of intake) of nutrients (dry matter, nitrogen, ether extract and nitrogen-free extract). There were significant (P<0.05) CBM x L-lysine interaction in ADWG, FCR, and PER and in DM and ether extract (E.E) retention. Lysine supplementation significantly (P< 0.05) improved ADWG, feed conversion efficiency, PER, E.E and DM retention at the 0, 15 and 20% levels of CBM inclusion. The results indicate that dehulled and cooked CBM can be incorporated into broiler finisher rations at 10% level without L-lysine supplementation and at 15% level with L-lysine supplementation to obtain normal growth in broiler birds.
Keywords: Castor oil bean meal, L-lysine, broiler finishers, effects, performance
> Agro-Science Vol. 6 (1) 2007: pp. 89-97
