Effects of Inclusion of Mango Peel Waste in Diets of Layer Chickens on Performance and Egg Quality in Kenya.

Alternative ingredients for the manufacture of poultry feeds need to be identified to meet the growing demand. A 42-day feeding trial was conducted to investigate the effects of the inclusion of mango peel waste in layer chicken diets on performance and egg quality. This study involved one hundred and fifty Isa Brown layer chickens aged 60 weeks. These chickens were assigned to five treatments with graded levels of mango peels: 0% (Treatment 1), 3.5% (Treatment 2), 7% (Treatment 3), 14% (Treatment 4) and 28% (Treatment 5), using a completely randomized design (CRD). Daily egg production was recorded, and weekly measurements included feed intake, specific gravity, egg weight, shell weight and shell thickness. Notably, Treatment 5 exhibited the highest feed conversion ratio (3.09) and Roche yolk color (RYC) fan score (14.3), which was significantly (p < 0.05) different from Treatment 1, with values of 2.36 and 12.4, respectively. Layer chicken fed on T1 had the highest egg weight and egg thickness (6.6 g and 0.44 mm, respectively), differing significantly (p < 0.05) from Treatment T5 eggs (6.3 g and 0.41 mm). It was concluded that mango peels could substitute maize in layer chicken diets up to 7% without affecting production and egg quality. Mango peels are recommended for partial substitution of maize in layer chicken diets and as natural egg yolk pigment to impart the yellow yolk desired by consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]