La formulation d'aliments efficients pour animaux doit tenir compte des valeurs nutritives des ingrédients disponibles, des facteurs antinutritionnels et du prix de chaque ingrédient. La programmation linéaire constitue un des outils de base des méthodes de formulation des aliments efficients. Le tableur Ouest Africain de formulation d'aliments de volailles (TAOFA-Volaille) a été construit dans le solveur de Microsoft Excel 2013 dans le but de formuler un aliment à moindre coût et qui satisfait aux besoins nutritionnels de la volaille. Il a été élaboré sur la base des ingrédients alimentaires pour volaille disponibles en Afrique de l'Ouest en général et spécifiquement au Niger (Pays sahélien) et au Bénin (Pays côtier). Le TOAFA-Volaille permet de formuler un aliment efficient en établissant un équilibre entre le prix de l'aliment et sa composition, tout en tenant compte des contraintes nutritionnelles liées aux ingrédients. Il peut être utilisé dans la fabrication d'aliments efficients à la ferme ou dans la formation des acteurs de la chaine de valeur volaille sur les méthodes de formulation d'aliments. Pour être plus efficace, des tests sur les performances biologiques et l'étude de métabolisme des aliments formulés pour différentes catégories de volaille peuvent être envisagés.

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The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential effects of gradually substituting fish meal by grasshopper meal in laying hens diets. Laying performance and egg quality were evaluated during 4 months on 140 laying hens ISA Brown of 20-week age with an average initial body weight of 1,386±10 g at the beginning of the experiment. Layers were fed 5 diets in which fish meal was gradually replaced by grasshopper meal. The hens were randomly allotted into 20 pens with 4 pens (repetitions)/feed and 7 hens/pen. The fish meal (FM) was replaced by the grasshopper meal (GM) in the proportion of 0, 25, 50, 75 and 100% to obtain G0 (Control), G25 (25% GM + 75% FM), G50 (50% GM + 50% FM), G75 (75% GM+ 25% FM) and G100 (100% GM+ 0% FM). During the 4 months experiment lasted, laying rate, daily feed intake, feed efficacy and efficiency, eggs weight and shape index, albumen height and egg shell thickness were statistically insignificant (P>0.05) for all birds. In addition, diets containing grasshopper meal (G25, G50, G75 and G100) improved egg yolk colour and Haugh unit compared to the control diet (G0). Therefore, Niger poultry farmers could replace fishmeal by grasshopper meal in the diets of laying hens.

The effects of diets with corn, sorghum, or pearl millet on growth performance and egg production and quality in poultry were determined on pullets (120), 19-week-old (with a mean of 1,050±11 g) in a 3-month experiment. The control diet was corn-based with fishmeal and peanut meal as the primary protein supplements. Sorghum and millet were used to replace the corn on a wt/wt basis so that treatments are: (i) a corn-based control; (ii) 50% corn + 50% millet; (iii) 50% corn+50% sorghum; (iv) pearl millet; and (v) sorghum. Ingredients samples were collected and analyzed through proximate analysis. Performance response criteria were egg production rate, average daily feed intake (ADFI), egg weight, feed conversion c g of feed/dozen eggs), egg yolk colour and feed cost. Data were analyzed as a randomized complete block design. Results indicated that layers fed corn versus those fed 50% corn + 50% sorghum, 50% corn + 50% millet, sorghum or millet had similar egg production rate. Feed cost was higher for layer fed corn or sorghum based diets and egg pigmentation was poor in sorghum and millet based diets. Therefore, it is recommended that in Niger, the poultry producers could replace corn up to 50% by millet or sorghum in layer diets.