Abstract:
Studies were carried out to determine the effect of
feeding diets containing lablab
seed meal (LSM) to replace groundnut cake (GNC) or
full fat soya (FFS) as the major source of
protein on nutrient retention and haematological pa
rameters of broilers at the starter phase.
Apparent crude protein, crude fibre and ether extra
ct retentions (%) were highest (P<0.05) for
broiler starters fed the LSM diet, while the retent
ion of ash was similar (P>0.05) between those fed
LSM and FFS diets, but significantly lower (P<0.05)
for those fed the GNC diet. The retentions (%)
of nitrogen free extract, calcium and phosphorus we
re highest (P<0.05) for starters fed LSM, while
those fed FFS had values that were similar (P>0.05)
to birds fed LSM or GNC. Most of the
haematological parameters measured were similar amo
ngst the treatments, except that packed cell
volume (PCV) (%) and mean corpuscular volume (MCV)
(fl) were significantly lower (P<0.05) for
broiler starters fed the GNC diet, while mean corpu
scular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC) (%)
and Neutrophiles (%) were lowest (P<0.05) for those
fed the LSM diet. All values were however
within the normal ranges for healthy broiler starte
rs. The results indicated that LSM can replace
GNC and FFS in the diets of broilers at the starter
phase, without compromising performance.
