Effect of prosopis juliflora pods-based diets on the performance and carcass quality of improved growing indigenous chicken in Kenya

Abstract

Chicken production faces unsustainable supply of quality and affordable feeds. Prosopis pods could be used as an alternative livestock feed ingredient. A study was designed to evaluate the inclusion of prosopis pods in improved grower indigenous chickens diets in Kenya. The objectives were to determine effects of prosopis pods-based diets in indigenous chicken on performance and meat quality. In experiment 1, diets were formulated by substituting growers‟ rations with prosopis at 0% (T1), 10% (T2), 20% (T3) and 30% (T4) while experiment 2 were formulated by substituting maize in the diet with GPJP at 0% (T1), 10% (T2), 20% (T3) and 30% (T4). A completely randomized design was used with four cockerels and four pullets per treatment in separate cages replicated three times. The results from experiment 1 showed a significant difference (p<0.05) between treatments where similar FI of 70.99, 70.56 and 69.02 g/day and weight gains of 12.91, 12.15 and 11.66 g/day were recorded in 0, 10 and 20% levels respectively while 30% recorded lower values at 61.31 and 9.08g/day for FI and weight gain respectively in pullets. In cockerels, treatments showed significant differences (p<0.05) with 0, 10 and 20% levels in the diets having similar FI of 94.24, 92.67 and 87.64g respectively but lower than diet with 30% level with 79.46g. Weight gain was similar in diets with 0, 10 and 20% substitution level with 20.65, 19.37 and 18.83g respectively but lower than in diet with 30% prosopis pods with 15.95g. Diet with 30% had higher values that diets with 0 and 20% level. In pullets, diet with 20% level had significantly lower (p<0.05) BW of 225.40g than all the other treatments. All treatments produced meat with similar (p>0.05) breast and drumstick pH apart from diet with 20% level which had higher pH values of 5.97 than diet with 30%. In pullet breast, diet with 0% level had higher appearance values than other treatments with 79.60. In experiment 2, FI and weight gain were similar for diets with 0-20% in cockerels. In pullets, diets with 10-30% level had similar effect on FI but diets with 0-30% had similar effects on weight gain and LWC. Feed conversion ratio was similar across all treatments in all birds. Results for diets with 0-20% and 0-10% levels were similar but significantly higher than diets with 30 and 20-30% for BW and LW respectively in cockerels. The study concluded that diets with 20% of prosopis pods could substitute improved grower indigenous chicken diet and the maize portion in experiment 1 and 2 respectively. The inclusion of mature pods in the chicken diet can contribute to sustainable and reliable supply of a feed ingredient and reduce overreliance on conventional livestock feed ingredients.