Cocoa pod husk is a potential feed ingredient in laying hen diets

Abstract

The experiment was carried out to determine if inclusion of cocoa pod husks (CPH) in layer diets will affect laying performance and egg characteristics. Two hundred and sixteen (216) Bovan Brown {BB} layers (92 weeks old) were randomly assigned to twelve experimental diets for 12 weeks in a completely randomized design. There were three levels of CPH inclusion; 0%, 10% and 15%. For each level of CPH, diets were further sub-divided into four and each portion treated with, i) no enzyme, ii) phytase only, iii) a commercial enzyme cocktail only and iv) a combination of both phytase and cocktail. The enzyme cocktail was added at a rate of 200g per tonne of complete feed. The phytase was added at the rate of 250g per ton of complete feed to give a phytase activity of 500 FTU (Phytase Units)/kg of complete feed. Overall, adding CPH did not affect average daily feed intake (ADFI). Hen day egg production for layers on diets with 0%, 10% and 15% CPH, with a combination of phytase plus an enzyme cocktail (76.19, 73.81 and 66.34 respectively), was better than that of hens on diets without enzymes. Adding either phytase, a cocktail enzyme, or a combination of the two improved egg weight. There were no effects of CPH or enzyme addition on egg quality characteristics. Cocoa pod husk (up to 15%) plus exogenous enzymes can effectively be used in layer diets without adversely affecting production performance or egg quality characteristics. © 2015 Fundacion CIPAV. All rights reserved.