Research
(Phaseolus Vulgaris) by Replacing Soybean Meal on Egg Fertility and Qualities of Chicks of White Leghorn Hens.
The study was to evaluate feeding processed kidney bean meal (PKBM) instead of soybean meal (SBM) on fertility, hatchability, embryonic mortality and chick quality of white leghorn (WL) hens. Replacement of SBM with PKBM in the diet did not affect the fertility, hatchability and embryonic mortality. Chick length (15.63, 15.00, 15.33, 15.03 and 14.33 (SEM =±0.02)) and chick weight (34.13, 34.20, 33.13, 33.06 and 32.47(SEM=±1.39)) for T1, T2, T3, T4 and T5 respectively, were significantly (P<0.05) lower for T5 than the rest treatments. Visual assessment of chick quality is lower for treatments containing higher proportion of PKBM than treatments containing lower proportion of PKBM. Therefore, as it affects the quality of chicks at 100% replacement, it is only up to 75% replacement of SBM by PKBM (dosed at 195 g/kg concentrate diet) is possible without having significant negative effect on chick quality.
Effect of Nitrogen Fertilizer Application on In sacco Rumen Degradability and Invitro Dry Matter Digestibility of Cenchrus Ciliaris and Panicum Maximum Grown Under Irrigation
The study was conducted to determine the In vitro dry matter digestibility and In sacco rumen dry matter degradability of Cenchrus ciliaris and Panicum maximum grown under irrigation at Gode, Somali region. 2 x 3 factorial arrangements in randomized complete block design with three replications were used. Treatments were three level of fertilizer application (0, 50, 100 kg ha-1 of urea) and two grass species, which make up six treatments. The IVDMD and IVOMD increased as a result of increased urea fertilization levels. Conversely the in sacco DMD was not significantly different. The addition of urea fertilizer with the grass species in the present study improved the digestibility of the forage grasses. It could be recommended that of Cenchrus ciliaris with urea fertilizer application of 50 and 100kg ha-1, because it has more digestibility than Panicum maximum, so that agro-pastoral farmers along the Wabi- Shabelle River could increase the livestock production and productivity.
