Effect of Fishmeal Supplementation on Egg Production of Rhode Island Red Layers in Eritrea

Abstract

Two hudred one-year old Rhode Island Red layers were placed into two groups of 100 each. One group was fed on a control diet (CD) that consisted of sorghum, wheat middlings, maize, meat and bone meal, and salt to make 50, 34, 10, 5, and 1 %, respectively, by weight. The crude protein (CP), crude fiber (CF), lysine and methionine + cystine content in % and ME in MJ/kg of CD was 13.84, 3.82, 0.36, 0.48 and 11.58, respectively. In an attempt to improve the inadequacy of CD, fishmeal, locally produced by sun-drying and grinding, was added to CD to make 4.76 % of the diet by weight. The fishmeal-supplemented diet (FMD) was fed to the other group. The CP, CF, lysine and methionine + cystine content in % and ME in MJ/kg of FMD was 15.88, 3.64, 0.51, 0.54 and 11.54. Both groups had acess to free limestone at all times. The experiment had four periods of two weeks each with the layers in Group 1 being fed on FMD and Group 2 on CD in Period 2. In Period 4, the diets were switched with Group 1 being fed on CD and Group 2 on FMD. In periods 1 and 3, both groups were fed on CD. Feed intake and egg production were significantly (P < 0.001) improved by jishmeal supplementaion. In Period 2, the layers fed CD had a feed intake of 88.9 g per layer per day and an egg production of 40.4 % while the corresponding figures for those fed on FMD were 113.9 g and 65.9 % In Period 4, feed intake in g per day and egg production percent were 96.1 and 40.7, respectively for the layers fed on CD and 105.4 and 65.9 for the layers fed on FMD. Egg weight was higher and cost per egg was lower for layers fed on FMD compared with those fed on CD.

Keywords: Fishmeal, layers, lysine, sulfur-containing amino acids, supplementation

Tanzania J.Agric.Sc. (2006) VoJ.7 No.2, 77 - 86