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Home > Vol 1, No 1 (2013) > Kur

Effect of Treated Cowpea Seeds on Broiler Chicken

Abdon T. Y. Kur, Khadig A. AbdelAtti, Bakheit M. Dousa, Hind A. A. Elagib, Huwaida E. E. Malik and Khalid M. Elamin

Corresponding Author: Khalid M. Elamin, khalid1130@yahoo.com

ABSTRACT
Poultry investment became one of the most important farming activities in Sudan. The aim of this experiment was to investigate the effect of dietary treated cowpea seeds on the performance of broiler chicks. Four rations were formulated that contained 0 cowpea for the control diet (A) and 15% cowpea for the three tested rations. The test diets contained cowpea soaked with no enzyme addition (B), soaked with enzyme addition (C) or roasted (D). One hundred and sixty unsexed chicks were used in a complete randomized design. The results indicated that roasted seeds contained low crude protein, ether extract, crude fiber, ash and metabolizable energy than soaked seeds, while it contained high nitrogen free extract than soaked seeds. Treatment differences had no significant effects on weekly and overall feed intake. There were only significant differences on weight gain in third and fourth weeks. Chicken  fed diet C gained the highest weight in week (3267.6) while chicken fed diet C and D gained the highest weight in week 4 (350.6 and 354.1g). Overall weight gain in the four treatments was not significantly different (1598.2 -1737.2 g). Treatments significantly affected feed conversion ratio in week 3 and 4 only diet C and D showed best results in the two weeks than the control and D diet.

Over all feed conversion ratio was significantly better for chicks fed cow pea incorporated diets than those fed the control diet (2.40 vs. 2.60 kg feed / kg weight).  
Key words: Cowpea Seed, Broiler, Chicken

INTRODUCTION
Many researches were conducted to evaluate the nutritive value of local plant protein sources aiming to reduce the cost of imported concentrates (Algam et al., 2012).Cowpea and black common bean are well adapted, cheap legumes that can be used in animal feeds in tropical countries  (FAO, 1999).Cowpea is used by human as a nutritious component (Berssani, 1985).Amino acids are balanced in cowpea with the exception of methionine which is deficient (Carnovale et al., 1990) but the amount of lysine is considered high (Akanji, 2002).The limiting aspect in the use of legumes in animal feed is presence of antinutritional factors (Miega, 1987; Wiryawan and Dingle, 1999 and Teguia and Beynen., 2005;).Grain legumes  like cow pea contain many anti-nutritional factors as chymotrypsin inhibitors, amylase inhibitors, tannins and phytic acids (Kratzer et al., 1968, Singh,1988; Duc, 1996; Amaefuil et al., 2005and Teguia and Beynen, 2005).Chicks performance was remarkably reduced when fed raw legumes (Wiryawan and Dinlge,  1999, Bressani, 2002, Teguia et al., 2003).Cowpea content of anti-nutritional factors is reduced by roasting (Vaishale et al., 1998) and in the rural areas cocking is a conventional method of removing legume toxins (Defang et al., 2008)The nutritive value of legumes is increased by cooking and this is due to the decrease in the activity of trypsin inhibitors or the decrease in other toxins (Duke 1981).

The purpose of the study is to investigate the effect of cow pea incorporation in broiler feeds.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Experimental site
This experiment was conducted in the premises of poultry research unit in faculty of Animal Production at Khartoum North.  During the experiment the maximum and minimum environmental temperatures were 34.3- 22.7º C and 24.7- 11.3º C while the relative humidity of 20 to 40%.

Housing and Management
The study was carried out in an open side poultry house. The house (5.5×4m) was portioned internally into 15 pens (1×1m) with suitable working place allowance. the house was cleaned and disinfected before the study and saw dust was laid as beddings to each pen. Each pen was provided with manual feeder and drinker. The light was maintained for 24 hours natural and artificially.

Experimental Diets
Vignaunguiculata seeds was purchased from Khartoum state (at a price of 2 SP/Kg 0.50 $) and has been decorticated, then divided into three parts one for roasting, the other for soaking, to one third (soaked) multi enzymes were added (Endo-B-1,4xylanase, Endo-pentosanase, protease, and amylase). Four experimental diets were formulated with 0.00% Vignaunguiculata level in the control and 15 % Vignaunguiculata in the other three diets. These diets were formulated to meet the requirements for broilers as recommended by NRC (1994).  Seeds were treated by soaking over night (12 hours) then boiled for 10 minutes or roasted in electric oven at 100º C for 15 minutes.

Experimental birds
One hundred and sixty unsexed, one day old broiler chicks (Ross 508) were obtained from Bageir commercial company after being vaccinated against marek's disease. The chicks were then weighed and allotted randomly into pens of eight chicks as replicate. Each treatment consists of 40 chicks that were replicated 5 times in complete randomized design.

Data collection
Parameters studied were body weight (BW), feed intake (FI), and weight gain (WG) plus feed conversion ratio (FCR) that was calculated for the individual replicates of each dietary treatment. Mortality was recorded when it occurred. The experiment extended for six weeks and at the end of the period 25 chicks were randomly selected from each dietary treatment (5 birds/replicate), leg banded, weighed individually and slaughtered. Hot carcass weight was recorded and dressing out percentage was determined by expressing hot carcass weight to live weight.

Chemical methods
Samples of Vignaunguiculata seeds dry and wet treated were approximately analyzed on dry matter basis for chemical components according to AOAC (1982).

Experimental design and statistical analysis
A complete randomized design was used. The data generated from the experiment were statistically analyzed using SPSS software. Duncan's multiple range tests were used to analyzed the differences between treatment means (Gomez and Gomez, 1984).

 (A): control diet, (B):15% soaking boiling cowpea seeds+ enzymes, (C): 15% soaking boiling cowpea seeds, (D): 15% roasting cowpea seeds
*super concentrate (%) CP 40, lysine 10, methionine 3,methionie+cystine 3.3, ca 10, available phosphate 6.40, CF1.44, C fat 3.99,  ME 1750 kcal/kg,  crude minerals 39.30
**Vitamin composition per kg of diet: vit A: 200.000 IU,vit D3: 70.000 IU, vit B1:50mg, B2:120mg, B12:180 mg, K3:30mg, niacin:440 mg, zincL: 1.6 mg, copper :450 mg, iodine 550 mg, selenium : 8 mg, cobalt: 9 mg, iron : 580 mg, molyden 20 mg

(A); control diet, (B): 15% soaking boiling cowpea seeds+ enzymes, (C): 15% soaking boiling cow pea seeds, (D): 15% roasting cowpea.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The results of chemical composition of treated cowpea were shown in table 3. The results indicated that roasted seeds contained low crude protein, ether extract, crude fiber, ash and ME than soaked seeds, while it contained high nitrogen free extract than soaked seeds. This may be due to heat effects on proteins.  On the other hand Azizah and Zainon (1997), and Mahadevamma and Tharanathan (2004) reported that roasting of legumes reduced insoluble dietary fibers and total fibers but increased soluble fibers. This   is in agreement with Defang et al., (2008).Cowpea seeds in this study contained 96% dry mater, 2.2-2.9 ether extract, 24.2- 21.4 crude protein, 3.4 – 3.0 crude fiber, 4.90 ash, and 14417- 22714 ME  (kal/ kg).  Eljack et al., (2009) reported that cow pea contain 93.3, 20.91, 2.0, 3.4, 4.1, 62.89, 13.4 MJ/kg dry mater, crude protein, ether extract, crude fiber, ash, nitrogen free extract, metabolizable energy respectively.

Data of table 4 show that treatment differences had no significant (p> 0.05) effects on weekly and overall feed intake. This may be due to the fact estates that treating of cow pea seeds by soaking or roasting lead to enhancement of feed palatability by reducing its content of anti- nutritional factors this idea is in agreement with Gahlawat and Sehgal (1992) who stated that roasting reduces anti nutritional factors in cereals and legumes hence improving their digestibility. As energy content of the four rations formulated was similar, feed intake was expected to be close in the four chick groups (Scott et al., 1982). Feed intake in week 1 to week 7 was in the range of 190.1- 216.8, 764.8- 977.4, 407.5- 411.3, 701.0- 742.8, 579.5- 622.5, 1200.1- 1263.3 g respectively, these values were lower than those estimated by Musa et al., (2012).  Total feed intake was 4104.40-4178.70g  and this estimate is higher than the range   3278.75- 3325.49 reported by Abdel Atti et al.,  (2011),  the range 3144-3660 reported by Eljack et al (2009) and the range 3236-3366 reported by Chakamet al., (2010).

Results in table 3 shows that treatments had no significant effects (p> 0.05) on weekly feed intake (table 4).
Data in table 5.shows the effects of cowpea on weekly weight gain .There was only significant differences (p< 0.05) on weight gain in third and fourth weeks. Chicks fed diet C gained the highest weight in week (3267.6)   while chicks fed diet C and D gained the highest weight in week 4 (350.6 and 354.1g). Overall weight gain in the four treatments was not significantly (p> 0.05) different (1598.2- 1737.2 g); this disagreed with Defang et al., (2003). Estimated range was higher than that reported by Chakamet al.,  (2010)and Kana et al.,  (2012)  who reported 1287.85- 1536.13-g  and 1094.93- 1362.49 g. Eljack et al., (2009) estimated a higher range for overall weight gain (1683. 29- 2152.02g).

Effects of treatment on feed conversion ratio were shown in table 6.  Treatments significantly (p>0.05) affected feed conversion ratio in week 3 and 4 only diet C and D showed best results in the two periods than the control and D diet. Over all feed conversion ratio (Table 7) was significantly (p>0.05) better for chicks fed cow pea incorporated diets than those fed the control diet (2.40 Vs 2.60 kg feed / kg weight). These results were similar to Abdelgani et al., (2013) for the control diet and higher for treated cow pea contained diets. Estimated results were lower than those estimated by Kana et al., (2012) who found a range of 2.74-3.18but higher than Eljack et al., (2010).

Live body weight, carcass weight and dressing percentage were not affected (p> 0.05) by dietary differences this may be related to similar feed intake and diets that were all isocaloricisonitrogrnous. Live weight is higher than that estimated by Abdelgani et al., (2013).

 CONCLUSION
Inclusion of treated cowpea seeds in broiler diets resulted in similar performance as in the control diet. The level of anti-nutritional factors in cow pea can be reduced by roasting or soaking.

REFERENCE

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