COMPARISON OF STRAIGHT PROTEIN DIETS WITH MIXED PROTEIN DIETS ON EGG-PRODUCTION

An experiment was conducted over a period of 13 28-day periods (i.e. a full laying cycle of 52 weeks) to compare the nutritive value among s traight protein diets of soya bean meal, sunflower meal, meat and bone meal and mixed protein diets of soya bean meal plus meat and bone mea l, and sunflower meal plus meat and bone meal, on egg production. A to tal of 720 ''shaver-288'' pullets were randomly distributed into 10 di etary treatments, each treatment was replicated six times, with 12 bir ds per replicate. The diets were formulated to provide 16 and 12% prot ein, respectively. The 12% protein diets were yellow-corn based as maj or source of energy. The parameters measured were hen-day egg producti on, daily feed consumption and feed conversion, egg weight, Haugh unit , egg shell-thickness, mortality and final body weight. The statistica lly analysed data indicated that hens fed mixed protein diets of sunfl ower meal plus meat bone meal, showed significantly (p < 0.01), better hen-day egg production than those fed mixed protein diets of soya bea n meal plus meat and bone meal and the straight protein diets of meat and bone meal. The conclusion drawn from this experiment is that, ther e is much better complementary synergistic effect in mixed protein sup plement of sunflower meal, and meat and bone meal than that of soya be an meal, and meat and bone meal for egg production. Secondly, meat and bone meal could be used as a major source of protein at 16% protein l evel, contrary to the admonitions in the literature that, it should no t be used beyond 10% in egg laying rations. Finally, the use of meat a nd bone meal as a major protein supplement, eliminates the use of dica lcium phosphate, which is an expensive source of calcium and phosphoro us in egg laying rations.