Effects of feeding the seeds of <i>Prosopis laevigata, Acacia schaffneri</i> and <i>Ceratonia siliqua</i> on the performance of broiler chicks

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to assess the nutrient contents and potential feeding value in the diet of broiler chicks of the seed of three tree species, mesquite (Prosopis laevigata), Schaffneri´s wattle (Acacia schaffneri) and the carob tree (Ceratonia siliqua). The dry matter (DM), ash, crude protein (CP), amino acid and fatty acid concentrations of the seeds were determined. Growth performance was measured in terms of weight gain, feed intake and feed conversion ratio. Sixty-four day-old Cobb broiler chicks were randomly assigned to the following treatments: control diet; control + P. laevigata; control + A. schaffneri and control + C. siliqua. The diets were formulated to contain 200 -210 g CP/kg and 13.39 MJ ME/kg, with approximately 60 g CP/kg diet originating from the respective seeds. Prosopis laevigata contained the highest protein level (394 g/kg DM), followed by A. schaffneri (229 g/kg DM) and C. siliqua (183 g/kg DM). The concentration of linoleic acid in the fat was found to be the highest in all three species, followed by oleic acid. The methionine concentration in the seed of the three species was low compared with that in soybean meal. Weight gain and feed intake of the chicks were significantly higher in the control diet and there were no significant differences between P. laevigata and A. schaffneri. Chicks receiving C. siliqua had the lowest weight gain. Feed conversion ratio was the lowest in the control diet, with no significant differences between the P. laevigata and A. schaffneri treatments, while C. siliqua had the highest feed conversion ratio. It is concluded that the seeds of the two species, P. laevigata and A. schaffneri, could partially replace commercial feed ingredients as protein and energy sources in diets of poultry kept under subsistence farming conditions in rural areas of Mexico. ________________________________________________________________________________

Effect of feeding carob (Ceratonia siliqua L.) pulp powder to broiler chicken on growth performance, intestinal microbiota, carcass traits, and meat quality

“… Álvarez-Fuentes et al (2012) had recorded a significant decrease in feed intake and weight gain and a height increase in conversion ratio in chicks fed with a diet containing 30% of carob seeds compared to the control. In this respect, Ortiz et al (2004) observed an important reduction (12.7 and 29.5%) of the apparent digestibility coefficients in chicks fed diets containing 6 and 9% of carob seeds in the starter period compared to the control.…”

The Use of Removed Mesquite Brush as a Fiber Replacement in Silage Production

“…A few researchers have broadened the scope of mesquite feedstock inclusion to address animals other than small ruminants. Feed intake, feed conversion ratio, and weight gain were all decreased when P. laevigata seeds were fed in isonitrogenous diets to broiler chicks [ 13 ]. Average daily gain of rabbits was not affected by inclusion of P. africana pulp, though feeding costs and cost of production were decreased with increasing inclusion [ 14 ].…”

“…Dutta et al [ 7 ] found that leaves of P. cineraria (L.) Druce improved the digestibility coefficients of all measures of nutritive value when supplemented to a rice straw diet in goats, while Bhatta et al [ 8 ] found mixed results of P. cineraria leaf supplementation of lambs and kids. Much of the interest in feeding mesquite species to livestock has revolved around the use of pods [ 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 ] or seeds [ 13 ] as a protein source as mesquite belongs to the Fabaceae family [ 5 ]. Few, though, have investigated the total biomass of mesquite.…”

Substitution of de‐oiled rice bran with Khejri pod meal and groundnut oilcake with Khejri seed meal in the diet of Labeo rohita (Hamilton, 1822)

“…These properties might be associated with the presence of various phytochemicals like alkaloids, saponins, tannins, flavonoids, flavanols and total phenolic (Malik et al, 2013 and Garg and Mittal, 2013). Pods from different Prosopis species have been evaluated in the diet of rabbits (Adamu et al, 2013), poultry (Alvarez‐fuentes et al, 2012; Girma et al, 2011) and fish (Bhatt et al, 2011) to promote carcass growth. However, there is no reports of utilization of Khejri pod and seed meal in fish feed.…”

“…Pods from different Prosopis species have been evaluated in the diet of rabbits (Adamu et al, 2013), poultry (Alvarez-fuentes et al, 2012;Girma et al, 2011) and fish (Bhatt et al, 2011) to promote carcass growth. However, there is no reports of utilization of Khejri pod and seed meal in fish feed.…”