Duckweed in Irrigation Water as a Replacement of Soybean Meal in the Laying Hens’ Diet
ABSTRACT Water lentils (Duckweed [DW])(Lemna gibba), in irrigation ponds, was evaluated by replacing two levels of soybean meal (SBM) on performance and egg quality of laying hens of 54 weeks of age. A total of 72 white Lohmann laying hens were randomly allocated into 3 treatments with 6 replicates/treatment, 4 hens/replicate in a randomized complete block design. Treatments were: control group (DW0%) with (SBM) as the main source of protein, T1 (DW10%) and T2 (DW20%), where duckweed replaced 10% and 20% of SBM for 9 weeks. No significant differences were observed among the dietary treatments in body weight change, feed conversion ratio, egg weight and mortality rate. Replacement with (DW20%) decreased (p<0.05) feed intake, egg laying rate and egg mass. The dry albuminin (DW10%) decreased (p<0.05) from 7 to 9 weeks and in the total period. Yolk pigmentation was highly (p<0.001) improved by the replacement. Blood spots were increased (p<0.05) with (DW20%). Duckweed grown in good quality irrigation water can replace up to 10% of the SBM as a source of protein without adverse effects on hen performance and egg quality in addition to profitability.
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Digital revista |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Fundacao de Apoio a Ciência e Tecnologia Avicolas
2018
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| Online Access: | http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1516-635X2018000300573 |
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| Summary: | ABSTRACT Water lentils (Duckweed [DW])(Lemna gibba), in irrigation ponds, was evaluated by replacing two levels of soybean meal (SBM) on performance and egg quality of laying hens of 54 weeks of age. A total of 72 white Lohmann laying hens were randomly allocated into 3 treatments with 6 replicates/treatment, 4 hens/replicate in a randomized complete block design. Treatments were: control group (DW0%) with (SBM) as the main source of protein, T1 (DW10%) and T2 (DW20%), where duckweed replaced 10% and 20% of SBM for 9 weeks. No significant differences were observed among the dietary treatments in body weight change, feed conversion ratio, egg weight and mortality rate. Replacement with (DW20%) decreased (p<0.05) feed intake, egg laying rate and egg mass. The dry albuminin (DW10%) decreased (p<0.05) from 7 to 9 weeks and in the total period. Yolk pigmentation was highly (p<0.001) improved by the replacement. Blood spots were increased (p<0.05) with (DW20%). Duckweed grown in good quality irrigation water can replace up to 10% of the SBM as a source of protein without adverse effects on hen performance and egg quality in addition to profitability. |
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