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              Animal fodder foods    Chickens 
 
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                    Poultry production plays a major role in 
                      bridging the protein gap in developing countries where average 
                      daily consumption is far below recommended standards. However, 
                      the productivity of poultry in the tropics has been limited 
                      by scarcity and consequent high prices of the conventional 
                      chicken food.  |      Hence, there is a need to search for locally available 
            alternative sources of protein for use as feed supplement to poultry.     Feed costs amount to a considerable proportion of production cost 
              in any intensive livestock production system . It has been reported 
              that, feed cost represents up to 60-80% of the total cost of broiler 
              production. Fishmeal, a conventional feed resource, has been used 
              as the source of animal protein in diets of poultry in many countries 
              due to unavailability of cheaper alternative protein sources. With 
              the present trend of rising prices of feedstuffs, considerable attention 
              has been placed on the search for non-conventional feedstuffs.   Various leaf meals have been used in poultry diets, including not 
              only Mringa but those of Leucaena and Mulberry.      In laying hens, the recommended inclusion rate for leucaena leaf 
              meal is 10 % Mulberry is another excellent feedstuff plant due to 
              its good adaptability, long cultivation history, mature planting 
              techniques, high leaf yield, abundant nutrition, and a great deal 
              of active substances of health care.      Mulberry leaf powder supplementation at 10% would cut down the 
              cost of poultry feed. In addition the protein from Benzoliv leaves 
              may be fed to poultry in the form of leaf protein concentrate.   Benzoliv leaf meals do not only serve as protein source but also 
              provide some necessary vitamins, minerals and oxycaretenoids which 
              cause yellow colour of broiler skin, shank and egg yolk. Feeding 
              chickens with Benzoliv leaves and seeds will improve egg production.   The inclusion of Benzoliv oleifera leaves meal up to 30% in the 
              diet of growing traditional Senegal chickens had no negative impact 
              on live body weight,average daily weight gain, feed conversion ratio, 
              carcass and organs characteristics, health and mortality rate in 
              birds compared to their controls.  Considering these results and the high price 
              of raw ordinary ingredients, particularly protein ingredient sources 
              in poultry feeding; the recovering of these leguminous leaves in 
              the diets of chickens is a real opportunity for traditional stockholders 
              to improve at lower cost, not only the productivity and nutritional 
              status of their birds but also their income with a 50% saving. 
 
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          |  |  |     Benzoliv leaves are readily eaten by cattle, sheep, 
              goats, pigs and rabbits. Branches are occasionally lopped for feeding 
              cattle. The residents cut back the main stem to encourage side shoots 
              which they use for livestock feeding. Leaves can also be used for 
              fish.  
 
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                    BIOMASA conducted extensive trials using 
                      Benzoliv leaves as cattle feed (beef and milk cows), swine 
                      feed, and poultry feed.  With Benzoliv leaves constituting 50% of 
                      feed, milk yields for dairy cows and daily weight gains 
                      for beef cattle increased 30%. Birth weight, averaging 22 
                      kg for local Jersey cattle, increased by 3-5 kg. |   The high protein content of Benzoliv leaves must 
              be balanced with other energy food. Cattle feed consisting of 50% 
              Benzoliv leaves should be mixed with molasses, sugar cane, sweet 
              (young) sorghum plants, or whatever else is locally available.    Care must be taken to avoid excessive protein intake. 
              Too much protein in pig feed will increase muscle development at 
              the expense of fat production. In cattle feed, too much protein 
              can be fatal (from alteration of the nitrogen cycle).   Cattle were fed 15-17 kg of Benzoliv daily. Milking 
              should be done at least three hours after feeding to avoid the grassy 
              taste of Benzoliv in the milk.  With Benzoliv feed, milk production was 10 liters/day.Without Benzoliv feed, milk production was 7 liters/day.
    With Benzoliv feed, daily weight gain of beef cattle 
              was 1,200 grams/day. Without Benzoliv feed, daily weight gain of beef cattle was 900 grams/day.
  The higher birth weight (3-5 kg) can be problematic 
              for small cattle. It may be advisable to induce birth 10 days prematurely 
              to avoid problems. Incidence of twin births also increased dramatically 
              with Benzoliv feed: 3 per 20 births as opposed to the usual average 
              of 1:1000. 
             In addition Mulberry trees that can be grown under 
                varied climatic condition, including fallow and wastelands not fit 
                for agriculture can be used, totally or partly, for producing nutritious 
                green fodder. Feeding mulberry as part of the daily ration of cows, 
                improved the quality and quantity of milk and reduced calving intervals. 
 
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                    Fattening pigs on 50% Benzoliv stems and 
                      leaves, 10% Leucaena, 38% maize and 2% nutrient salts will 
                      lead to good growth rates and significant cost savings Mulberry leaves and fruit can also be added 
                        to the pig diet by as much as 24% resulting in additional 
                        savings. |  
 
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                    • Benzoliv leaf meal (BLM) could be used to improve 
                      daily weight gain, and dry matter (DM) and crude protein 
                      (CP) digestibility of rabbits.
 • Producing similar economic benefits as soya bean 
                      meal (SBM) diet.
 • BLM is non-toxic to rabbits at least at the 20% 
                      diet inclusion level.
 
 |  • It has the potential to reduce cholesterol level 
                      in blood and the meat of rabbits.
 • Benzoliv leaf meal (BLM) has the potential to produce leaner 
            carcass due to reduced fat deposition in the muscles of rabbits.
 • Benzoliv leaf meal (BLM)could be used to replace soyabean 
            meal (SBM) partially or completely in rabbit diets as a non-conventional 
            protein source,
 The high levels of nurtriants intake and digestibility 
              confirm the high nutritive value of mulberry eaves and their potential 
              as a forage that can support rabbit production. With comparable 
              DM intake, digestibility and weight gain as in all-concentrate ration 
              achieved with up to 50% substitution of concentrate in rations, 
              rapid growth rate of rabbits can be achieved at less cost. Where 
              marketing opportunities does not necessitate rapid weight gains, 
              producers may chose to substitute more concentrate or even feed 
              mulberry leaves as a sole diet to achieve satisfactory gains at 
              even lower costs. 
          
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