The use of fibrous foods in the feeding of replacement pullets and laying hens favors the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract of animals, reduces digestive disorders and does not affect productivity at the beginning and during laying (Bouali et al. 2013).
The use of Moringa oleifera is an encouraging possibility for animal feed, due to the high content of proteins, amino acids, minerals and vitamins that leaves and forages contain (Madalla et al. 2013 and Alegbeleye 2018), where all essential amino acids (Mune et al. 2016) and the low content of anti-nutritional substances (Makkar and Becker 1997) are highlighted.
The use of Moringa oleifera forage meal in diets for broilers with high growth potential (Ebenebe et al. 2012, Gadzirayi et al. 2012 and Kaijage et al. 2014) is recorded at moderate levels, which are between 10 and 15%. Meanwhile, in fowls with lower growth potential (fowls native from Nigeria), their effective use is reported at levels between 8 and 24% of the diet (Ayssiwede et al. 2011). Similarly, in diets for laying hens, between 5 and 10% are recommended (Kakengi et al. 2007, Olugbemi et al. 2010, Abou-Elezz et al. 2011 and Valdivié et al. 2016), as a partial substitute of soybean and corn.
In the consulted literature, there is not much information about the use of moringa in White Leghorn replacement pullets. Therefore, this study aims to include levels of Moringa oleifera forage meal in replacement diets, intended for replacement pullets (between 9 and 18 weeks of age) and for White Leghorn L33 laying hens, at the beginning of laying peak (26 weeks old).
Materials and Methods
The experiment was carried out in the Poultry Experimental Unit of the Institute of Animal Science (ICA), located at km 47½ Carretera Central, San José de las Lajas municipality, Mayabeque province.
Supergenius variety of moringa forage was used in both experiments and it was cut at 55 d of regrowth. Later, it was air dried under roof for five days and then, it was ground in a hammer mill at 1.5 mm in particle size.
Two experiments were performed. Experiment 1 consisted of the use of 0, 10, 15 and 20% of moringa forage meal in the diet for replacement pullets from 9 to 18 weeks of age. For experiment 2, the same animals from control and 20% of moringa forage meal treatments of experiment 1 were used, from 19 to 26 weeks of age.
For preparing diets, the chemical analysis of moringa forage meal was carried out, according to AOAC (2007). Moringa forage meal contained 89% dry matter, 17% crude protein, 13% crude fiber, 3.42% calcium, 0.1% available phosphorus, 4.07% ether extract and 8.49% ashes. Available phosphorus was estimated by considering that young fowls use 30% of total phosphorus, and adults needed 50% (Scott et al. 1982). Amino acid content of Moringa oleifera forage meal was determined in AMINOLab Evonik Industries, Germany (table 1).
Amino acids, % | Dry matter 100 % |
---|---|
Methionine | 0.243 |
Cystine | 0.395 |
Methionine + Cystine | 0.640 |
Lysine | 0.511 |
Threonine | 0.489 |
Tryptophan | 0.149 |
Arginine | 1.198 |
Isoleucine | 0.494 |
Leucine | 0.865 |
Valine | 0.634 |
Histidine | 0.238 |
Phenylalanine | 0.576 |
Glycine | 0.719 |
Serine | 0.527 |
Proline | 0.665 |
Alanine | 0.728 |
Aspartic acid | 1.032 |
Glutamic acid | 2,118 |
Metabolizable energy (ME) was estimated according to the value of a Janssen (1989) equation, which fits this type of food:
With this equation, the energy estimate of Moringa oleifera forage of 5.799 Mj of ME/kg (1386 kcal/kg) was obtained, and this value was used for diet formulation.
Experiment 1. An amount of 120 White Leghorn L33 replacement pullets, with 9 weeks of age and mean liveweight of 673 g/pullet, was used. They were housed in metal cages of 1 m2, at the rate of five animals per cage. Hens had water at will in nipple drinkers and ad libitum food in linear feeders. They received a natural lighting regime of 12 h per day between February and May. They were vaccinated against Marek's disease, infectious bronchitis, avian smallpox, Gumboro and Newcastle, according to standards of the Institute of Veterinary Medicine of Cuba
These fowls were randomly distributed, according to a completely randomized design. Four treatments were established, which consisted of the inclusion of 0, 10, 15 and 20% of Moringa oleifera forage meal in the diet, with six repetitions. Each cage constituted an experimental unit.
The composition of the diets for replacement pullets, from 9 to 18 weeks of age, is shown in tables 2 and 3. They were formulated as recommended by UECAN (2013) for the poultry category under study, in terms of crude protein, amino acids, calcium and phosphorus. Diets were non-isoenergetic.
Raw matters | Moringa forage meal (%) | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
0 | 10 | 15 | 20 | |
Corn meal | 70.00 | 70.48 | 67.44 | 63.72 |
Soy bean meal (44% CP) | 19.90 | 16.05 | 14.59 | 13.10 |
Inert filler (sand) | 5.66 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Moringa meal | 0 | 10 | 15 | 20 |
Dicalcium phosphate | 1.57 | 1.57 | 1.57 | 1.57 |
Calcium carbonate | 1.52 | 0.53 | 0.04 | 0 |
Salt | 0.25 | 0.25 | 0.25 | 0.25 |
DL methionine | 0.10 | 0.11 | 0.11 | 0.10 |
L- lysine | 0 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.01 |
Premix1 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
Crude protein | 14.50 | 14.50 | 14.50 | 14.50 |
Metabolizable energy, Mj/kg | 11.79 | 12.08 | 11.80 | 11.45 |
Available phosphorus, % | 0.37 | 0.37 | 0.37 | 0.37 |
Total calcium, % | 0.95 | 0.92 | 0.90 | 1.05 |
Methionine + Cystine, % | 0.57 | 0.58 | 0.57 | 0.57 |
Lysine, % | 0.66 | 0.65 | 0.65 | 0.65 |
Threonine, % | 0.51 | 0.51 | 0.51 | 0.52 |
Tryptophan, % | 0.17 | 0.17 | 0.17 | 0.18 |
Crude fiber, % | 2.26 | 3.36 | 3.88 | 4.40 |
1Premix: Vitamin supplement: vit. A, 10,000UI; vit. D3, 2,000 IU; vit. E, 10 mg; vit. K, 2 mg; thiamine, 1 mg; riboflavin, 5 mg; pyridoxine, 2 mg; vit. B12, 15.4 μg; nicotinic acid, 125 mg; calcium pantothenate, 10 mg; folic acid, 0.25 mg; biotin, 0.02 mg. Mineral supplement: selenium, 0.1 mg; iron, 40 mg; copper, 12 mg; zinc, 120 mg; magnesium, 100 mg; iodine, 2.5 mg; cobalt 0.75 mg
Raw matters | Moringa forage meal (%) | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
0 | 10 | 15 | 20 | |
Corn meal | 66.42 | 59.95 | 56.76 | 53.56 |
Soy bean meal (44% CP) | 26.29 | 23.62 | 22.27 | 20.92 |
Moringa meal | 0 | 10 | 15 | 20 |
Dicalcium phosphate | 1.69 | 1.70 | 1.70 | 1.70 |
Calcium carbonate | 4.14 | 3.27 | 2.81 | 2.36 |
Salt | 0.25 | 0.25 | 0.25 | 0.25 |
DL- methionine | 0.21 | 0.21 | 0.21 | 0.21 |
Premix1 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
Crude Protein | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 |
Metabolizable energy, Mj/kg | 11.88 | 11.29 | 11.00 | 10.72 |
Available phosphorus, % | 0.40 | 0.40 | 0.40 | 0.40 |
Total calcium, % | 2.00 | 2.00 | 2.00 | 2.00 |
Methionine + Cystine, % | 0.73 | 0.73 | 0.73 | 0.73 |
Lysine, % | 0.83 | 0.83 | 0.83 | 0.82 |
Threonine, % | 0.61 | 0.62 | 0.62 | 0.62 |
Tryptophan, % | 0.21 | 0.21 | 0.22 | 0.22 |
Crude fiber, % | 2.55 | 3.59 | 4.12 | 4.64 |
1Premix: Vitamin supplement: vit. A, 10,000UI; vit. D3, 2,000 IU; vit. E, 10 mg; vit. K, 2 mg; thiamine, 1 mg; riboflavin, 5 mg; pyridoxine, 2 mg; vit. B12, 15.4 μg; nicotinic acid, 125 mg; calcium pantothenate, 10 mg; folic acid, 0.25 mg; biotin, 0.02 mg. Mineral supplement: selenium, 0.1 mg; iron, 40 mg; copper, 12 mg; zinc, 120 mg; magnesium, 100 mg; iodine, 2.5 mg; cobalt 0.75 mg
Individual liveweight of animals was controlled at 9 and 18 weeks of age, as well as weekly feed intake per repetition. A FWE digital balance was used for this, with a scale from 0 to 25 kg and accuracy of 0.001 g. Liveweight gain from 9 to 18 weeks of age and food conversion were calculated. At 18 weeks of age, tarsus length was measured.
Ten fowls were slaughtered per treatment at 18 weeks of age to determine the weight of liver, oviduct, ovary and abdominal fat, expressed in grams (g).
Experiment 2. At 19 weeks of age, hens of control and 20% of moringa treatments were placed in the laying unit to continue experiment 1 and analyze productive indicators at the beginning of laying peak at week 26. They were distributed according to a completely randomized design, at the rate of 2 hens per cage and 10 repetitions per treatment.
The cages used were 40 cm in the front by 41 cm deep. Food was offered in linear feeders, and water was provided at will in nipple drinkers (2 nipples/cage). An amount of 16 hours of light and eight hours of darkness was offered each day.
Diet composition in the stage from 19 to 26 weeks of age (beginning of production) is shown in table 4.
Raw matters for feedstuff and contributions | Moringa forage meal (%) | |
---|---|---|
0 | 20 | |
Corn meal | 57.75 | 44.77 |
Soy bean meal (44% CP) | 27.92 | 22.55 |
Moringa meal | - | 20 |
Vegetal oil | 2.30 | 2.30 |
Dicalcium phosphate | 1.70 | 1.76 |
Calcium carbonate | 8.86 | 7.15 |
Salt | 0.25 | 0.25 |
DL- methionine | 0.22 | 0.22 |
Premix1 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
Crude Protein | 17 | 17 |
Metabolizable energy, MJ/kg | 11.65 | 10.90 |
Available phosphorus, % | 0.40 | 0.40 |
Total calcium, % | 3.80 | 3.80 |
Methionine + Cystine, % | 0.73 | 0.73 |
Lysine, % | 0.86 | 0.85 |
Threonine, % | 0.62 | 0.62 |
Tryptophan, % | 0.21 | 0.22 |
Crude fiber, % | 2.49 | 4.58 |
1Premix: Vitamin supplement: vit. A, 10,000UI; vit. D3, 2,000 IU; vit. E, 10 mg; vit. K, 2 mg; thiamine, 1 mg; riboflavin, 5 mg; pyridoxine, 2 mg; vit. B12, 15.4 μg; nicotinic acid, 125 mg; calcium pantothenate, 10 mg; folic acid, 0.25 mg; biotin, 0.02 mg. Mineral supplement: selenium, 0.1 mg; iron, 40 mg; copper, 12 mg; zinc, 120 mg; magnesium, 100 mg; iodine, 2.5 mg; cobalt 0.75 mg
Laying rate, feed intake per animal per day and egg weight were monitored. Yolk pigmentation was determined by Roche yolk color fan. Food needed for producing an egg was calculated.
For the statistical processing of results of both experiments, INFOSTAT, version 2012 (Di Rienzo et al. 2012) was used. To determine the differences between means, Duncan (1955) test was applied for P <0.05, in the necessary cases.
Covariate analysis was performed for the variables tarsus length, at the beginning and 18 weeks of age. Liveweight at 18 weeks of age, mean weight gain during the stage and conversion were determined. Initial weight was taken as concomitant variable.
Results and Discussion
Experiment 1. During the stage between 9 and 18 weeks of age, viability was high and superior to 96% in all treatments. This indicates that, at that stage, the inclusion of up to 20% of moringa forge meal in feed for replacement pullets does not generate high mortality, which coincides with reports of Valdivié et al. (2016). These authors reported that the use of 20% or higher levels of forage meal is assimilable in fowls.
Tables 5 and 6 show that the moringa meal levels evaluated did not affect liveweight nor liveweight gain at 18 weeks of age. Food intake during 9-18 weeks and food conversion showed no differences among treatments, nor for tarsal length in treatments.
This performance demonstrates that diets with moringa forage meal were able to meet the nutritional needs of White Leghorn L33 replacement pullets, between 9 and 18 weeks of age. According to Makkar and Becker (1997), these diets do not contain anti-nutritional substances at harmful levels. Cabrera et al. (2017) describe low amount of tannins in leaves, which allows a better use of nutrients by the animals that consume it.
Indicators | Moringa forage meal (%) | SE ± | Sig. | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
0 | 10 | 15 | 20 | |||
Liveweight at 18 weeks, g | 1269 | 1256 | 1237 | 1248 | 29 | P=0.8854 |
Intake from 9 to 18 weeks, g | 4238 | 4436 | 4504 | 4447 | 95 | P=0.2453 |
Tarsus length, mm | 89.19 | 88.42 | 89.34 | 88.40 | 0.57 | P=0.5241 |
Indicators (from 9 to 18 weeks) | Moringa forage meal (%) | Sig. Treat. | Sig. Covariable | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
0 | 10 | 15 | 20 | |||
Weight gain, g | 591 ± 29 | 593 ± 30 | 564 ± 29 | 570 ± 29 | P=0.8585 | P=0.0236 |
Food conversion | 7.27 ± 0.47 | 7.74 ± 0.48 | 8.09 ± 0.46 | 7.89 ± 0.47 | P=0.6481 | P=0.0386 |
In this study, regardless of the increase of crude fiber content in the diets used, it did not exceed 5%. Replacement pullets assimilated this contribution for their growth and development.
Table 7 shows that, at 18 weeks of age, there were no differences for the weights of liver, ovary and oviduct. This indicates that growth and development of the fowls were normal with diets containing up to 20% of moringa meal.
Indicator | Moringa forage meal (%) | SE ± | Sig. | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
0 | 10 | 15 | 20 | |||
Liver , g | 27.44 | 26.44 | 26.67 | 24.56 | 1.93 | P=0.7511 |
Abdominal fat, g | 13.11b | 8.56ab | 3.33a | 4.56a | 2.05 | P=0.0084 |
Oviduct, g | 5.89 | 4.22 | 5.67 | 6.44 | 1.94 | P=0.8694 |
Ovary, g | 0.89 | 1.33 | 1.11 | 0.56 | 0.47 | P=0.6881 |
a,b different letters in the same line indicate significant differences for P<0.05
According to Valdivié et al. (2016), abdominal fat deposition was reduced in the treatments with 15 and 20% of moringa meal compared to control (table 7). This is attributed to the lowest ME concentration in diets for replacement pullets with these moringa levels.
Experiment 2. In the 26th week of age, hens consuming 20% of moringa in the diet presented productive indicators similar to control treatment (table 8). Laying rate was above 90%, which indicates that hens at that age reached their laying peak (Rostagno et al. 2017). Intake was higher than control, which was perhaps a response to meet their energy needs, without deteriorating conversion (g of feed/egg).
Yolk pigmentation, at 26 weeks, was higher with 20% moringa meal in the diet. As stated by Abou-Elezz et al. (2011), Moyo et al. (2011), Tesfaye et al. (2014) and Valdivié et al. (2016), this is attributed to carotenoid pigments provided by moringa meal.
Indicators | Moringa forage meal (%) | SE ± | Sig. | |
---|---|---|---|---|
0 | 20 | |||
Laying, % | 93.57 | 93.57 | 1.05 | 0.9999 |
Intake, g/animal/d | 106 | 109 | 1 | 0.0480 |
g of feedstuff/egg | 113 | 118 | 12 | 0.6740 |
Egg weight, g | 49 | 50 | 1 | 0.3824 |
Yolk pigmentation | 4 | 6 | 0.2 | 0.0001 |
Table 9 shows that animals consumed the amount of nutrients needed to meet their requirements according to NRC (1994). Even when hens consumed non-isoenergetic diets, the amount of nutrients was enough for maintaining the laying.
Conclusions
Experiment 1. For White Leghorn L33 replacement pullets, from 9 to 18 weeks of age, the use of up to 20% of Moringa oleifera forage meal in diets does not affect growth, productive performance nor development of ovaries and oviduct.
Experiment 2. In 19-week-old White Leghorn L33 laying hens, the use of 20% of Moringa oleifera forage meal in diets allows reaching the laying peak at 26 weeks of age.