POTENTIAL OF PROCESSED BAUHINIA MONANDRA (KURZ) SEEDS AS PROTEIN SUPPLEMENT IN THE DIET OF JAPANESE QUAIL, COTURNIX COTURNIX JAPONICA (LINNAEUS, 1758)

摘要

Seven experimental diets were formulated at three Crude Protein (CP) levels, using different quantities of Bauhinia monandra seeds (BMS) boiled for twenty and thirty minutes respectively, and fed to Coturnix coturnix japonica for 35 days. This was conducted to assess acceptability of the diets and determine growth performance. Chemical analysis showed that the boiled seeds contained 36.4 and 34.9% CP respectively. The control diet gave the highest weight gain, which was insignificantly different (P<0.05) from that of diets Cl and C2, with 22% BMS. Diet B2, which contained 18% BMS gave the best feed efficiency. Whereas birds fed diet A2 (14% BMS) had the lowest feed intake and body weight gain. Early egg laying was recorded in birds fed diets Cl andC2. This study indicates that BMS has potential as cheap and readily available source of protein that enhances growth and onset of early egg laying in Japanese quail.