Effect of dietary energy level on laying performances of local barred-hen

摘要

AtrialontheeffectofdietaryenergylevelonlayingperformancesofCameroonWestern-Highlandslocalbarredchickenwascarriedout.Ninetysix18-weeksoldlocalbarredhenswererandomlyallocatedto16experimentalunitsof6pulletseachinacompletelyrandomizeddesigncomprising4treatmentsand4replicateseach.Fourexperimentaldiet(EM26,EM27,EM28andEM29)containing2600,2700,2800and2900Kcal/kgofmetabolizableenergyrespectivelywereused.Thedataonfeedintake,eggproduction,eggweightandfeedefficiencywerecollected.nbsp;Theresultsshowedthatthehighesteggproduction(0.56egg/hen/day)aswellasthelowestconsumptionindex(2.57)wasrecordedwithdietEM29containing2900kcal/kgascomparedtoEM26diet(0.33egg/hen/dayand3.26respectively)containing2600kcal/kgofmetabolizableenergy.Theotherlayingparameterswerenotsignificantlyaffected(P0.05)bythedietaryenergylevel.However,theheaviesteggwasrecordedwiththedietEM29containing2900kcal/kg.Inconclusion,themetabolisableenergyrequirementsforthevillagesbarredchickensduringlayingphaseis2900kcal/kgofmetabolisableenergy.