Production performance of Gold Arab laying-hens fed diet containing Neurospora crassa fermented palm kernel cake

Abstract

An experiment was conducted to determine the effects of several levels of Neurospora crassafermented palm kernel cake in the diet on the production performance of Gold Arab laying-hens and to obtain the appropriate level of this fermented palm kernel cake for reducing the utilization of concentrated feed in the diet. Three hundred Gold Arab laying-hens of 72 weeks old were employed in this experiment and randomly assigned to four treatments (0, 7.25, 10.15 and 13.05% fermented palm kernel cake in diets) in a completely randomized design with five replicates. The measured variable was production performance (feed consumption, egg-mass production, feed conversion, egg weight and hen-day egg production). Results of experiment indicated that feed consumption, egg-mass production, feed conversion, egg weight and hen-day egg production were not influenced (p>0.05) by diets. In conclusion, Neurospora crassafermented palm kernel cake could be included up to 13.05% to effectively replace 45% concentrated feed in the diet of Gold Arab laying-hens without adverse effect on the production performance.