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Due to increasing price of conventional feeds, alternative locally available nonconventional feed ingredient is required for layers' production. Rumen contents are abundantly available as slaughterhouse by-product and mainly considered as waste material creating environmental pollution. Therefore, a study was conducted for 90 days to evaluate effects of sundried rumen content (SDRC) inclusion in layer rations on egg laying performance, egg quality parameters, fertility, and hatchability, chick quality and blood parameters. Treatment diets contained T1, T2, T3, and T4 at 0, 5, 10, and 15 percent SDRC, respectively. On chemical analysis, the rumen content contained 11.18% crude protein, 1.22% ether extract, 22.99% crude fibre, 21.54% ash and 1099.32 cal/kg of DM of metabolizable energy. The daily DM intake value increased (P < 0.05) with the increase in level of rumen content. The bird fed with 10 percent SDRC diet had a high DM intake. The weight gain and egg production of the laying hens reduced significantly (P < 0.05) as the level of rumen content increased. The average egg weight increased significantly (P < 0.05) with the increase in the level of rumen content. The feed to gain ratio increased as the level of rumen content increased in the diet. The hen fed T2 (5 percent SDRC) had the best feed to gain ratio. Most external and internal egg quality parameters, especially yolk color, were improved when the diet contained sun-dried rumen content (SDRC). Fertility, hatchability, early and mid embryonic mortality showed no significant differences among treatments. However, chick quality parameters increased (P < 0.05) with the increase in the level of rumen content. Mortality rate was not influenced by treatments. All blood parameters studied were within the normal range. It is concluded that under the condition of this experiment, diets up to 10% SDRC in the ration did not affect DMI, daily weight gain, egg production performances and blood parameters in white leghorn layers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study was conducted to evaluate the effects of feeding processed kidney bean meal (PKBM) by replacing soybean meal (SBM) on fertility, hatchability, embryonic mortality and chick quality of white leghorn (WL) hens. A total of 225 white leghorn hens (195 layers and 30 cocks) with uniform body weight (BW) and age were randomly distributed into 15 pens and assigned to five treatments (i.e., T1, T2, T3, T4, and T5). A total of 360 eggs collected from all the treatment birds were used for the analysis. The feeds of the treatments were SBM substituted by PKBM at 0, 25, 50, 75 and 100% levels for T1, T2, T3, T4, and T5, respectively. Replacement of SBM with PKBM in the diet did not affect the fertility, hatchability, embryonic mortality, chick length, chick weight, and chick quality by visual score. As no difference is observed, 100% replacement of SBM by PKBM (dosed at 100 g/kg concentrate diet) is possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study was conducted to evaluate effects of cassava root chips (CRC) and Moringa oleifera leaf meal (MOLM) inclusion in layer rations on egg laying performance, egg quality parameters, fertility, and hatchability. One hundred twenty Dominant CZ layers, 22 wk of age, and 12 cocks were used and equally divided into 4 dietary treatments with 3 replications. Treatment rations contained CRC and MOLM [i.e., T1 (0% CRC and 0% MOLM), T2 (50% CRC and 0% MOLM), T3 (0% CRC and 5% MOLM), and T4 (50% CRC and 5% MOLM)]. The CRC and MOLM were used to substitute for 100% corn grain and 5% soybean meal, respectively. Hens were weighed at the start and end of the experiment and BW change was calculated. Data on DM intake, hen-day egg production, egg weight, and egg mass were recorded daily. Egg quality parameters were determined at an interval of 15 d on 4 eggs per replicate. Fertility and hatchability of eggs, as well as mortality of birds and embryonic mortality of fertile eggs during the incubation period were recorded. From the chemical analysis, the calculated ME content of CRC was 3,852 kcal/kg of DM and the CP content of MOLM was 28%. The DM intake of birds, hen-day egg production, egg mass, FE, and mortality rate were not influenced by treatments. Body weight change and egg weight were higher for T4 as compared with other treatments. Most external and internal egg quality parameters, especially yolk color, were improved when the diet contained MOLM. Fertility showed nonsignificant differences among treatments. However, hatchability percentage for T1 was lower than the other treatments. In conclusion, CRC at 50% of the diet, CRC replacing corn grain 100%, or MOLM at 5% of the diet replacing soybean meal can impart similar or better positive effects on egg production, egg quality parameters, eggs fertility, and hatchability of Dominant CZ layers. Thus, 50% CRC, 5% MOLM, or a combination of both can successfully be used in the diet of layers as energy and protein feed ingredients, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]