Sesame hull (SB), a by-product of sesame cream manufacturing, is rich in me
thionine, cystine, and calcium and is a moderate source of protein. Three s
tudies were conducted to determine the effect of dietary levels of SH on th
e performance of broilers and layers. In Studies 1 and 2, as dietary SH lev
el increased up to 12%, the weight gain (WG) and feed conversion (FC) of 2-
wk-old broilers were negatively affected to become significant at 12% level
only. In Study 3, the 28% SH reduced both body weight (BW) and egg product
ion (EP) and significantly increased the FC.-Feed intake (FI), egg weight (
EW), and Haugh unit score (HU) were not affected by SH levels. Yolk color (
YC) and shell thickness (ST) were significantly reduced by the 28% SH diet.
The results of these studies indicate that SH, as such, is not recommended
in broiler starter diets beyond a level of 8%, but may be used up to 14% i
n layer diets without apparent ill effects.