Effects of varying levels of soaked false yam (<i>Icacina oliviformis</i>) tuber meal on growth performance and subsequent egg-laying

Abstract

False yam (lcacina oliviformis) is a perennial shrub with large tuberous root, which is common in the arid and semi-arid  areas of West  and Central Africa. The tuber is rich in carbohydrates but contains some anti-nutritional factors like gum  resins that can be partially  removed by soaking in water. A feeding trial involving layer chicken was conducted to evaluate the effects of varying levels of sun-dried  soaked false yam tuber meal on their performance during the grower phase and subsequent egg production phase. Harvested false yam  tubers were peeled, chopped, soaked for 12 days in  water, sun-dried for 6 days and milled into gritty flour and labeled Soaked False Yam  Tuber Meal (SFYTM). The  SFYTM was included in the diets of growing hens (pullets) at 0% (control), 5%, 7.5% and 10% as a substitute for  maize on a weight-by-weight basis at the grower phase (9-19 weeks of age); after which all hens were fed a standard  layer diet at the  layer phase (20-29 weeks of age). A total of 120 Lohmann chicks brooded for 8 weeks with an average  live weight of 525g per bird were  randomly assigned to the 4 dietary treatments and each treatment was replicated  thrice (n=10). Feed and water were given ad libitum.  Data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA using GenStat. Only  hens fed the 5% SFYTM diet at the grower phase had comparable  performance to their control counterparts in terms  of feed intake, live weight gain, feed conversion efficiency, egg weight and egg  production. It is concluded that sun-dried soaked false yam tuber meal can be included at 5% in the grower diet of layer chicken with no  adverse effects on  growth and egg-laying performance.