No abstract

A feeding trial was done to investigate the impact of inclusion of enzyme-treated Moringa oleifera leaf meal (MOLM) on feed conversion ratio, average daily gain, feed intake and point of lay of improved indigenous grower chicken. Ninety chicken were randomly allocated to six treatment diets in a completely randomised design with a factorial layout, with each treatment having five chickens per cage, replicated three times. The following were the dietary treatments used: T1 -comprised of 0kg MOLM and 0g enzyme, T2 -comprised of 0kg MOLM and 0.035g enzyme, T3 -comprised of 20kg MOLM and 0g enzyme, and T4 -comprised of 20kg MOLM and 0.035g enzyme, T5-diet comprised of 40kg MOLM and 0g enzyme, T6-diet comprised of 40kg MOLM and 0.035g enzyme of the diet, respectively. The statistical analysis system's general linear model (GLM) approach was used in the data analysis. Tukey's test (p<0.05) was used to differentiate significant means. When comparing diets T5&T6 to the control, the results showed that feed intake differed significantly (p<0.05). The ADG of the MOLMbased diets was significantly (p<0.05) lower in comparison to the control diet. The point of lay of the chicken fed MOLM-based diets differed significantly (p<0.05) from the control. The study recommended inclusion levels of enzyme-treated MOLM at 10-20% which would improve performance.

The egg quality of indigenous chicken in Kenya is low due to inadequate supply of quality feed which can only be achieved by nutritional improvement. Moringa oleifera leaf meal (MOLM) provides proteins, vitamins, minerals and ox carotenoids that have a positive effect on the quality of eggs. The objective of this research was to determine the influence of MOLM on egg quality traits of improved indigenous laying hens. Ninety chicken (90) were assigned to six treatment diets in a completely randomised design with a factorial layout, each treatment having 5 birds per cage, replicated three times. The dietary treatments were: T1 -0 kg MOLM and 0 g enzyme, T2 -0 kg MOLM and 0.035 g enzyme, T3-20 kg MOLM and 0 g enzyme, and T4 -20 kg MOLM and 0.035 g enzyme, T5-40 kg MOLM and 0 g enzyme, T6-40 kg MOLM and 0.035 g enzyme of the diet, respectively. The egg weight in hens fed with MOLM-based diets increased significantly (p<0.05) compared to control diet. In response to dietary M. oleifera leaf meal, there was no difference in egg shape index across the groups (p> 0.05). The laying hens fed a diet with 40 percent MOLM inclusion significantly had a higher (p<0.05) shell thickness and weight. Inclusion of MOLM in the diet increased the intensity of yellow colour in egg yolk (p<0.05) in comparison to the control diet. Significantly (p<0.05), the eggs from chicken fed a diet containing 40 percent MOLM inclusion had the highest Roche colour score of 14.62. When MOLM-based diets were compared with control, there were significant variations in yolk weight (p<0.05). The albumen height of eggs increased significantly (p<0.05) as dietary MOLM inclusion increased compared to control. The egg width, albumin width, yolk height, ratio, index and yolk/albumin ratio and shell ratio were similar (p>0.05) for all the dietary treatments. As the amount of MOLM in the diet increased, the egg length, albumin length, and yolk diameter were all significantly reduced (p<0.05) in comparison to the control. This study concluded that inclusion of 20-40 percent enzyme-treated MOLM in diets of laying hens improved egg weight, yolk weight, albumin height, yolk colour and shell thickness (p<0.05) compared to control diet.

In Kenya, Mulberry is grown in less than a piece of an acre by most of the farmers. Current acreage of mulberry stands at 250, spread over Western, Nyanza, and Rift Valley and Coastal regions. Mulberry leaves are highly palatable and digestible (70-90%) to ruminants and can be fed to non-ruminants as part of feed ingredient. Protein content and essential amino acid profile in the leaves and young stems varies from 15 to 35% depending on the variety. The Mulberry leaves are highly applicable as supplements replacing concentrates for dairy cattle, as the main feed for goats and sheep, and as an ingredient in rabbits and pigs’ diets. Farmers growing mulberry fodder offer higher protein content to livestock than those relying on different varieties of Napier grass, which have failed to boost milk production despite the amounts fed. In non-ruminant production, fishmeal and soybean meals are the main source of protein. In ruminant production, cottonseed meal and canola meal are the main source of protein. These meals are expensive, inadequate in supply and of variable quality. This often leads to low egg production and poor-quality eggs, hence low income and poverty among farmers. Therefore, efforts have been made to identify locally available protein feed resources that can be used as a protein supplement for livestock. Mulberry leaf meal (MLM) has been identified as a locally available alternative protein and mineral source that are beneficial to livestock and have been proven to improve production. Int. J. Agril. Res. Innov. Tech. 11(2): 1-9, Dec 2021