Assessment of tail-end dehulled canola meal for use in broiler diets

The value of tail-end partially dehulled canola meal (DCM) was assessed in comparison to the conventional canola meal (CCM) from which it was derived using broiler chickens. CCM obtained from five crushing plants underwent th e partial-dehulling. Nutrient retention was determined using 33-d-old broil er chickens and a 21-d growth study was also conducted. DCMs contained a hi gher concentration of crude protein and amino acids and the utilization of energy and amino acids was improved. Energy utilization was also affected b y crushing plant and there was an interaction between plant and meal type, suggesting that the dehulling was not uniform for meals obtained from the f ive plants. The DCM had higher digestibilities than the CCM (for 10 amino a cids), but there were also plant effects for 7 amino acids. In the second e xperiment, feed intake, weight gain and mortality levels were not affected by tail end dehulling, but feed efficiency was. The similarity in chick per formance and health between the chicks fed DCM and CCM indicates that there was no apparent concentration of anti-nutritional factors. In conclusion, although variability between crushing plants is a concern, tail-end dehulli ng has potential to increase the quality and marketability of canola meal f or poultry diets.