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Apr 19, 2023Keywords:
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Effects of partial replacement of maize with cashew kernel meal on the growth and reproductive performance of layer pullets and semen characteristics of cockerels
Abstract
The effects of partially replacing maize with cashew kernel meal (CKM) on the growth and subse-quent laying performance of 13-week-old pullets and semen quality traits of cockerels were investi-gated. CKM was initially incorporated into a grower diet at 0, 2.5, 7.5, and 12.5 % replacing equal amounts of maize. A total of 240 Lohmann Brown pullets and 32 cockerels were randomly but equally allotted to diets which were in quadruplicate lots in a completely randomised design. Each replicate included 15 pullets and two cockerels; the grower phase lasted till the 20th week after which they were transferred to layer diets containing the same levels of CKM. The layer phase was terminated at week 45. Parameters measured included body weight changes, feed intake, feed con-version ratio, and the economics of production. With respect to the laying phase, the following were also studied: age at first egg, weight of first egg, mean egg weight, hen-day egg production, cost per kg eggs, fertility and hatchability of eggs. Semen quality traits studied included semen vol-ume, sperm concentration, sperm morphology, sperm motility and vitality. In the grower phase, the feeding of CKM had no significant (p>0.05) effect on daily weight gain although the final live weight increased up to the level of 7.5% CKM. During the layer phase, CKM had no significant (p>0.05) effect on feed conversion ratio, while feed intake increased up to 7.5% CKM while cost/kg diet declined influence on any of the parameters measured except the cost per kg feed which de-clined as CKM levels increased. CKM did not influence (p>0.05) any of the semen quality traits studied. The results showed that CKM could be incorporated up to 7.5% in grower diets and up to 12.5% in layer diets with no adverse effect on growth, egg production and reproductive perfor-mance of layers and cockerel semen quality traits.
