Kola-pod husk as a partial substitute for maize in layer diets

Abstract

The continued search for alternative feed resources for poultry in Africa is necessitated by the competition between people and poultry for cereal grains. Several farm and agro-industrial by-products have been evaluated for this purpose in West-Africa. One of such by-products, cocoa-pod husk (CPH) has shown promise in laying hen diets in Ghana and Nigeria (Osei et al., 1991; Sobamiwa, 1998). Another farm by-product sharing several similarities with CPH but of higher crude protein and lower crude fibre contents is Kola-pod husk (KPH). Nigeria produces 70% of world kola (Cola nitida Vent) and consequently the bulk of KPH which is estimated at 210,000 tones annually (Ogutuga, 1975). The present study investigates the partial replacement of maize with KPH in laying hen diets in South Western Nigeria. This is the region of kola production and it is characterized by small holder rural poultry farms which could easily adopt the findings of this study.