Performance of pullet chicks fed raw or processed pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) seed meal diets

K U Amaefule and F C Obioha*

College of Animal Science and Animal Health, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike,
PMB 7267 Umuahia, Abia State, Nigeria
amakelvin@yahoo.com
* Department of Animal Science, University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

Abstract

An experiment was conducted with 150 black Bovan Nera pullets to evaluate the performance of pullet chicks fed raw or processed pigeon pea seed meal (PSM) diets. Pullets were fed 10% PSM-based diets for 8 weeks. The seeds were either raw or processed (toasted for 30 minutes, boiled for 30 minutes, or soaked in water for 24 hours). Each treatment was replicated three times, with 10 pullets per replicate. The layout of the experiment was a completely randomized design (CRD). The experimental diets were isoenergetic and isonitrogenous. Parameters measured were feed intake, weight gain and feed cost.

The results showed that pullets fed 10% raw or processed PSM diets did not differ significantly (P>0.05) in all the performance parameters. PSM diets significantly (P<0.05) reduced total feed cost.

It was concluded that PSM is a good protein source for pullets and that 10% raw or processed PSM could be incorporated into pullet chick diets.

Keywords: Performance, pigeon pea, pullets, processsing, raw seeds.

Introduction

The major constraint towards increased animal protein supply in Nigeria has remained the exorbitant and ever-increasing cost of commercial poultry feeds arising mainly from the high cost of feedstuffs and ingredients, especially the conventional ones like cereal grains (maize, sorghum, wheat and millet), oil seed cakes (groundnut cake and soybean meal) and fish meal.

Pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) seeds are currently considered as a non-conventional feedstuff in poultry feeding and as a valuable protein feed resource (Preston 1987; Udedibie and Igwe 1989; Amaefule and Obioha 1998; Amaefule and Onwudike 2000). The chemical and proximate composition of pigeon pea seeds are affected by such factors as cultivar, growth condition, soil and or geographical location (Salunkhe et al 1985). The crude protein content of raw pigeon pea seeds ranges from 21 to 30 percent (Salunkhe et al 1985; Udedibie and Igwe 1989; Amaefule and Onwudike 2000). The crude protein of boiled pigeon pea seed meal (PSM) has been reported to be in the range of 23.2 to 25.3%, while that of boiled and dehulled PSM was 25.5% (Amaefule and Obioha 1998).

The energy content ranges from 340 to 346 calories/100g (about 14 MJ kg^-1) ( (Borget 1992), while the metabolizable energy (ME) content (N-corrected) was 11.1 MJ kg^-1 in the raw and 12.0 MJ kg-1 in the toasted seed meal according to Nwokolo (1987). The crude fibre content ranges from 7 to 10% (Borget 1992). The lipids are mainly saturated fatty acids (64.0%), while the unsaturated fatty acids make up the remaining 30.7% with a total absence of linolenic acid (Nwokolo 1987).

There is little scientific information and data on the utilization of pigeon pea seed meal (PSM) by pullets (Udedibie and Igwe 1989). Most previous studies (Amaefule and Obioha 1998; Amaefule and Onwudike 2000) centered on the use of the seeds in broiler diets. The objective of this study was to evaluate performance of pullets fed raw or processed pigeon pea seed meal diets.

Materials and methods

Processing of seeds

The three processing methods for the pigeon pea seeds were: boiling in water, toasting and soaking in water. Raw seeds were put into boiling water, boiled for 30 minutes and sun dried before milling. Toasting the raw seeds was for 30 minutes with a frying pan normally used in frying local garri. After toasting, the seeds were poured out on a clean cemented floor and allowed to cool. Soaking of raw seeds in water was for 24 hours in a 200 litre capacity plastic container. The seed: water ratio was 30 kg: 100 litres. After 24 hours, the seeds were removed from the container with a basket and sun dried. Unprocessed (raw) seeds were milled with the seed coat and used to formulate one of the diets. The pigeon pea seeds were milled with a local grinding mill powered by a 2.0hp diesel Lister engine

Diets

Four isoenergetic and isonitrogenous diets were formulated with raw, boiled, toasted or soaked pigeon pea seed meal (PSM), and each was included at 10% of the whole diet. The control diet contained: maize 45%, soybean meal 25% and maize gluten feed 8%; and the pigeon pea seed diets: maize 36%, soybean 21% and maize gluten feed 10%).

Management of birds

The experiment was conducted with day-old chicks and lasted 56 days. Chicks in each replicate were brooded in a deep litter (wood shavings) pen in an open-sided poultry house whose sides and demarcations between pens were covered with wire-gauze. Heat was provided with kerosene stoves under galvanized metal hoods. Feed and water were provided to the birds ad libitum, while additional light was supplied at night using kerosene lanterns. The open sides of the poultry house were covered with black tarpaulin cloth during the brooding (1-4 weeks) period to conserve heat and prevent draught. The birds were vaccinated against Newcastle disease at day-old and at the 4^th week (Lasota). Gumboro disease vaccine was given at the 9^th and 21^st day, while broad spectrum antibiotics and a coccidiostat were administered to the pullets between the ages of 2 - 3 weeks and 5 - 6 weeks.

Experimental design and data Collection

The experimental design was a completely randomized design (CRD). There were 30 pullets per treatment and three replicates of 10 pullets per replicate. Feed consumption was determined by subtracting the quantity of feed leftover from the total quantity offered on a weekly basis. The birds were weighed as replicate groups and the group weight was divided by the number of birds to obtain the average live weight per bird. Weighing of the birds was at the beginning of the experiment and subsequently on a weekly basis usually in the morning (8.00 - 9.00 am) hours when the birds had empty crops. Weight gain was calculated as final weight minus initial weight, feed conversion ratio (FCR) as feed intake divided by weight gain, and protein efficiency ratio (PER) as protein intake divided by weight gain. Feed cost per kg weight gain was calculated as FCR x cost/ kg feed.

Chemical and data analyses

Feed and PSM samples were analyzed for proximate composition according to methods of AOAC (1990). The gross energy of PSM and diets were determined using an Adiabatic Oxygen Bomb Calorimeter (1241 Adiabatic Calorimeter, PARR Instrument Co., Illinois, USA). All data collected were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) and differences between treatment means were determined using Duncan's New Multiple Range Test (Duncan 1955). All statistical procedures were according to Steel and Torrie (1980).

Results

Chick performance

Processing did not affect the proximate composition of the pigeon seed meal (Table 1).

There were no significant differences (P>0.05) between pullets fed the PSM diets or control in all parameters measured (Table 2).

However, chicks fed boiled PSM diet attained the lowest final live weight (Figure1) and daily weight gain at the end of 8^th week (Figure 2).

They also had the highest feed conversion ratio (FCR), while chicks fed toasted PSM diet attained the highest final live weight and weekly weight gain (Figures 1 and 2) and also the highest mortality. Chicks fed soaked PSM and control (0% PSM) diets did not record any mortality. Daily feed intake of the chicks (Figure 3) followed almost the same trend as weekly weight gain (Figure 2) especially between the 5th and 8th week of age.

Feed cost

The feeding raw or processed PSM diets to chicks did not show any difference (unanalyzed) in kg feed cost (Table 3) between the PSM diets and control diet.

Indeed, the difference between the cheapest PSM diets (raw and soaked) and the control was only N1.66 per kg. However, chicks fed the control diets had a significantly higher (P<0.05) total feed cost per bird than the chicks fed raw, boiled or soaked PSM diets. Cost per kg weight gain was not significantly different (P>0.05) among the chicks fed the various PSM and control diets.

 

Discussion

Proximate composition

The CP range in this study fell within the range widely reported by other researchers (Borget 1992; Amaefule and Obioha 1998). The reduction in the CP and ether extract of the toasted PSM may have been due to loss of water, nitrogen and volatilization during dry heat application. The differences in the proximate composition of the raw and processed PSM were due to the effect of processing.

Chick Performance

The inclusion of 10% raw, toasted, boiled or soaked pigeon pea seed meal (PSM) in chick diets from day-old supported chick growth and development. The rate of growth and development obtained with these PSM diets was not inferior to that obtained with the control diet. However, the lower final live weight, daily weight gain and higher feed conversion ratio (FCR) obtained from chicks fed boiled PSM diets contradicts results obtained with the feeding of boiled PSM diets to starter broilers (Amaefule and Onwudike 2000; Amaefule and Obioha 2001). This suggests that the response of pullet chicks to PSM diets could be different from that of broilers, a situation that could be attributed to differences in genetic make-up. The reduction in daily weight gain of the chicks between the 3^rd and 5^th weeks of age corresponds to the period of rapid feather development instead of muscle or tissue growth. This is confirmed by the report of Moran (1981) that rapid feather development of domestic fowl occurs between 3^rd and 6^th week of age. This period also is the beginning of second moult in the domestic chick (Leeson and Walsh 2004). The loss in body weight between the 7 and 8^th week could be attributed to physiological developments. The decrease in feed intake by chicks fed toasted and soaked PSM diet could be an adjustment by the birds to a diet that contained some level of antinutritional substances (D'Mello 1995), while the general decrease in the intake of all the diets from the 2^nd to the 3^rd week could not be explained. The sharp increase in feed consumption witnessed from 3^rd to 5^th week is attributable to increased nutrient requirement during this period for maintenance, growth and rapid feather development (Deschutter and Leeson 1986). Apart from these, the feed consumption pattern observed in this study could be hinged on the relationship between ingredient matrix of the diets, the genetic and physiological status of the chicks (Bedford 1996).

Conclusion

Processing of pigeon pea seed significantly improved PSM utilization and CP retention of pullets, especially boiled and toasted PSM. Pullet chicks could be fed 10% PSM in the diet as raw, toasted, boiled or soaked PSM without any adverse effect on the performance of the pullets.

Acknowledgement

This study was undertaken with the financial and material grant from International Foundation for Science (IFS), Sweden. We are also grateful to Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike for the use of Poultry houses and some other facilities.

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