Effect of Replacement of Soybean Meal with Toasted Pigeon Pea (Cajanus cajan) Seed Meal on Growth Performance of Broiler Chickens

Abstract

Scarcity and the high market price of conventional protein concentrates are some of the major constraints of poultry production in the tropics. To alleviate this problem utilization of non-conventional feedstuffs like pigeon pea could contribute to the increased supply of animal protein sources in the tropics. to determine the effects of replacement of soybean meal with toasted pigeon pea seed meal (PSM) on the growth performance of broilers. A total of 180 unsexed, day-old broiler chicks were divided into four groups and randomly assigned to four treatment rations containing 0 % (T1), 10% (T2), 20% (T3), and 30% (T4) toasted PSM in a complete randomized design with three replications. There were highly significant differences (P<0.001) in daily and total DM intake overall. The birds fed T3 and T4 had significantly (P<0.05) higher daily and total DMI compared to the control group during the finisher phase and the overall period. There were high significant (P<0.001) BW gain, and ADG during the finisher phase and overall period. Birds fed T3 and T4 had significantly (P<0.05) higher, BW gain, and ADG compared to the control group birds. There was no significant (P>0.05) difference in FCR in all phases. Therefore, replacement of SBM by toasted PSM in diets of broiler particularly at the levels of 20% and 30% enhanced optimum growth of birds without any adverse effect on the growth performance of broiler birds.