EFFECT OF MORINGA OLEIFERA LEAF POWDER ADDITIVE ON THE GROWTH OF LAYERS EGG PRODUCTION AND NUTRITIVE VALUE OF EGGS IN AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION FARMS

Abstract

The study was carried out to determine the effects of Moringa oleifera leaf powder additive on the growth of layers, egg production and nutritive value of eggs. Specifically, the study sought to determine among others the effects of Moringa oleifera leaf powder fortified feeds and control feed on the growth of layers, effects of different inclusion rates of Moringa oleifera leaf powder on the growth of layers, effects of Moringa oleifera leaf powder fortified feeds and control feed on the egg production of layers and effects of different inclusion rates of Moringa oleifera leaf powder on the egg production of layers. A completely Randomized Design (CRD) was adopted for the study. The study was carried out in the Agricultural Education poultry farm located in the Department of Animal Science mini-livestock farms. The population for the study consisted of 252 Isa Brown day-old chicks and 25 students of Agricultural Education, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Simple random sampling technique was used to select 240 chicks which were also randomly allotted to 12 pens and 12 students of Agricultural Education participated in the study. Weighing scale, spectophotometer and psycho-productive multiple choice test (PMCT) were used to collect data to answer research questions and test null hypotheses. On the procedure of the experiment, 240 chicks were randomly  selected  from  252  Isa  Brown  day-old  chicks  bought  from  day-old  chicks distribution centre in Nsukka urban area. The chicks were equally randomly allotted to 12 pens with 20 chicks each. The pens were randomly assigned to 4 different treatment groups with 3 replicates each.  The 4 treatment  groups were Treatment (T) 1, Treatment (T) 2, Treatment (T) 3 and Treatment (T) 4. T1 was fed with control feed, T2 was fed with feed fortified with 2.5% Moringa oleifera leaf powder, T3 was fed with feed fortified with 5% Moringa oleifera leaf powder while T4 was  fed with feed  fortified with 7.5%  Moringa oleifera leaf powder. Each of these 4 treatment groups had 3 replicates representing T1A, T1B, T1C, T2A, T2B, T2C, T3A, T3B, T3C, T4A, T4B and T4C. The chicks were fed with uniform feed up to week 4. From week 5, experimental feeds were given. The layers were placed on the same treatment conditions such as provision of heat during brooding, provision of clean drinking water, vaccination, deworming, treatment of diseases, regular changing of litters, among others except different experimental feeds given to different groups. The feeds were  formulated  using  feedwin  software  and  produced  in  Chidera  Feed  Mill  located  at Onuiyi, Nsukka. Data on the average weight, average weight gain, average feed intake and average  egg  weight  were  collected  using  weighing  scale.  Nutritive  values  of  eggs  were

should

determined by the Central Research and Diagnostic Laboratory located in Ilorin, Nigeria using proximate analysis, Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (AAS) and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) methods. Similarly, the extent which students who participated in the study acquired skills in feed formulation and layer production was determined using PMCT developed by the researcher. Data collected were analyzed using mean, bar charts and pie charts to answer research questions while Analysis of Variance and t-test were used to test the null hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance and at appropriate degrees of freedom. Test of significance between means was done using Sceffe Test. A null hypothesis was accepted when the probability value was greater than 0.05 at the appropriate degrees of freedom and rejected when otherwise. The average weights of all the treatment groups were equal from week 1 to week 4. Little variation in average weight started in week 5 with T2 topping the groups. However, there was no significant difference in the average weight of layers fed with Moringa oleifera leaf powder fortified feeds and those fed with control feed. The layers fed with control feed consumed the highest amount of feed in most of the weeks under study. It was recommended among others that farmers should include Moringa oleifera leaf powder at the rate of 2.5% to improve the weight of layers and

not include Moringa oleifera leaf powder in layer feeds during egg production period.

CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Poultry are domesticated birds kept for meat, table egg or fertile egg production. They can be raised using extensive, semi-intensive or intensive management systems. Whichever system  that  is  adopted,  poultry  rearing  serves  as  a  good  subsidiary  occupation  that supplements  the  income  of  smallholder  farm  families  and  rural  households  in  most developing countries (Anang, Yeboah and Agbolosu, 2013). According to the authors, greater proportion of poultry production in Nigeria is still at the subsistence level and managed by backyard  poultry  farmers.  However,  Ekunwe,  Soniregun  and  Oyedeji  (2006)  noted  that poultry production has assumed an important role as a commercial activity with enormous potentials for rapid economic growth. This is in line with National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) (2010) which reported that poultry industry in Nigeria has witnessed a great leap in the population of birds as well as of poultry establishments. According to NBS, there was an upward trend in the population of birds from 158,216,684 in 2006 to 166,127,481 in 2007,

representing an increase of 2.35 percent. In 2010, the figure rose to 192,313,325 or 7.72 percent compared to 2006. This signifies that Nigeria is making significant positive shift in poultry production to feed the population. The types of poultry that are commonly reared in Nigeria are chickens, ducks, guinea fowls, turkeys, pigeons, quail and more recently ostriches. Those that are of commercial or economic importance given the trade in poultry industry are fowls, guinea fowls, and turkeys, amongst which fowls predominate (Food and Agricultural Organization, FAO, 2006).

Poultry farming is an important agribusiness enterprise that has a great potential for providing additional income to farming communities and educated unemployed persons. In

addition  to  its  contribution  to  the  Gross  Domestic  Product  (GDP)  and  provision  of

on is a major

employment opportunities, poultry producti        1

source of protein supply to the

increasing population of the country (Ohajianya, Mgbada, Onu, Enyia, Ukoha, Chendo and Ibeji, 2013). Though poultry production is an important agribusiness, the authors noted that it is faced with a lot of problems. The authors outlined the problems of poultry production in Nigeria to include low capital base, ineffective management, technical inefficiency, economic inefficiency, diseases and parasites, poor housing, high cost of feeds, poor quality of feeds, poor quality of day old chicks, inadequate extension and training, among others. Some poultry businesses, both commercial and non-commercial, find it difficult to cope due to these enormous challenges in the production systems.

There are two distinct poultry production systems in Nigeria: the commercial poultry production and rural poultry production (Food and Agricultural Organization, FAO, 2006). Food and Agricultural Organisation stated that the commercial system is capital and labour intensive and demands a high level of input and technology while rural poultry production is

by convention a subsistence system which comprises stock of non-standard breeds or mixed strains, types and ages. It is usually small-scaled, associated with household or grassroots tenure and little or no veterinary inputs.

Consequently, many people in Nigeria keep poultry as a family business enterprise. Family poultry according to Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) (2014) encompasses the wide variety of small-scale poultry production systems found in rural, urban and peri- urban areas of developing countries. It is a production system that is practised by individual families as a means of obtaining food security, income and gainful employment. Family poultry production can be categorized as extensive scavenging, semi-intensive and small-scale intensive (FAO, 2014). The conditions and requirements of these systems and the resulting performance differ significantly, as a result of the type of genetic resource used, feeding practices, prevalence of diseases, prevention and control of diseases, the management of flocks and the interactions among these factors. The main outputs from family poultry production are food for home consumption, either in the form of poultry meat or eggs, and income from the sale of these products. Poultry raised for meat production is called broilers while the poultry for table egg production is termed layers.

Layers in Nigeria are reared under free range,  deep litter system or battery cage system, with battery cage system being more prominent. Management in terms of feeding, vaccination,  medication,  egg  collection,  control  of  cannibalism,  among  others,  is  more efficient in battery cage system. However, this system is capital intensive and does not allow the hens to move around. The European Commission according to Leenstra, Maurer, Galea, Bestman, Amsler-Kapalaite, Visscher, Vermeij and Van Krimpen (2014) recognises non-cage system, which can be categorized as barn system, free range system or organic system. The

authors noted that in barn system, hens are kept in houses that might have multiple tiers (aviaries) with nests boxes and perches. The floor is covered with litter material while a maximum of nine hens per m2  usable area is recommended. In free range system, inside the house is identical to barn system but access to pasture of 4 m2 per hen is provided. In organic system, not more than six non-beak-trimmed hens per m2 useable area are kept, and the hens have access to pasture like free range hens. Besides, the hens receive feed according to organic standards. The feed ingredients are grown without synthetic fertilizers, no free amino acids are added to the feed and genetic modified soya is not used either (Leenstra et al, 2014).

Laying hens need a completely balanced ration (Clauer, 2009). The author noted that feeding table scraps or whole grains can decrease the feed intake, body weight and consequently production. The feed intake capacity of laying hens is determined by the body weight, laying performance, ambient temperature, conditions of plumage, energy content of the feed, consistency of feeding, genetic potential, health status and developmental stage of the birds. Pullets need to be fed appropriately to build much muscle and strength that will help them  adapt  to  a  protracted  duration  of  egg  production  stage.  Malnutrition,  diseases  and retarded growth may set in if the birds are not fed with balanced diet during the growing stage. Growth of layers can be measured in terms of the body weight, weight gain, feed conversion ratio (FCR), among others. The performance of laying hens at the production stage is largely dependent on the health status and growth during the growing stage (Clauer, 2009). Laying hens have 18-21 weeks of growing (rearing) stage and 65-72 weeks of egg production stage.  Production  of  table  eggs  by layers  could  be  dependent  on  the  breeds,  prevailing climatic conditions, feed and feeding (nutrition), management of layers, among others.

Table eggs are usually unfertilized but are meant for human consumption or use in food industry and  not  for day old  chicks  (DOC)  production.  A whole-egg according to Stadelman in Ahmadi and Rahimi (2011) consists of the yolk (30-33%), albumen (approximately 60%) and the shell (9-12%). Eggs are highly nutritious, excellent source of high-quality protein, and several vitamins and minerals (American Council on Science and Health,  2002).  The  Council  stated  that  eggs  are  inexpensive,  tasty,  convenient,  easy  to prepare, easy to chew and safe to eat. They play important roles in a wide variety of recipes. According to Brufau and Tacon (1999), eggs represent an important source of phosphorous, iron and vitamin, however it is deficient in glucides, calcium and Vitamin C. The authors reported that egg as a whole is considered to be low-calorie source. From egg yolk lipid, only one third is saturated fatty acids and eggs are rich in linolenic acid, essential in human nutrition. Narahari (2003) stated that egg is the most nutritious, unadulterated, yet relatively inexpensive natural food, with a high digestibility coefficient. Egg protein according to the author is the best protein available in nature for human consumption, with a well balanced amino acid profile, having the highest biological value, protein efficiency ratio, net protein utilization and net protein value. Narahari (2003) noted that the nutritive value of eggs can be determined by the amounts of protein, energy, lipid, minerals and vitamins contained in them. It is a common belief that eggs are high in cholesterol, which could lead to hypercholesterolemia. The relationship of cholesterol to eggs was supported by the American Council on Science and Health (2002) which reported that eggs are the largest single source of cholesterol among the foods commonly eaten. The author noted that a large egg contains about  215  milligrams  (mg)  of  cholesterol  which  is  found  in  the  yolk.  Pérez-Vendrell, Llauradó, Brufau and Hernández (2004) stated that the levels of vitamins and minerals in eggs

are directly linked to the levels in the feed of the hen, contributing to make the egg such a nutritive food product. The authors maintained that an optimum level of vitamins in feed is essential to allow birds to achieve their full potential and enhance health, welfare and productivity.

In the view of Casartelli, Filardi, Junqueira, Laurentiz, Assuena and Duarte (2006), feed costs higher than any other input in poultry production, and often accounts for 60-65% of total cost of commercial egg production. The authors explained that soybean meal is the major conventional protein source for egg laying feed and costs higher than any other protein source. Increasing feed ingredient prices remain the greatest single item that determines profit margins in layer production. The best strategy to reduce costs is the development of feed formulation using alternative, locally available feed ingredients (Casartelli et al, 2006). Akpantaku, Oluwalana and Adepegba (2006) observed that own-mixed feeds cost less than the commercially mixed feeds, because feed manufacturers raise the prices of the feeds to be able to pay wages, maintain their machinery, and also make profits. To this end, many farmers try to reduce feed cost by compounding their layer’s feed.

Layer feed is a compound feed composed of several feed ingredients which include maiz, soybean meal, groundnut cake, animal by-product meals, fats, vitamins and minerals. A complete layer feed is expected to contain a balanced mixture of metabolizable energy, crude protein, minerals and vitamins for optimum growth and production. Oladokun and Johnson (2012) noted that the most easily available sources of energy are the carbohydrates contained in common grains, grain by-products and plants generally. Such ingredients include maize, sorghum, millet, wheat, barley, oat, maize bran, wheat bran, rice bran among others. This is in line with Sinurat (1998) who explained that the feeds for layers are mainly composed of

maize, rice bran, wheat bran, soybean meal, fish meal, coconut meal, palm kernel meal, coconut oil, crude palm oil, meat meal, bone meal, minerals and vitamins. The author stated that  cassava  meal  is  produced  locally  in  large  quantities  but  not  commonly  used  in commercial ration formulation due to its low concentration of nutrients other than energy. In the view of Chiba (2014), calcium, phosphorous and vitamin D are important in layer feed for egg shell formation. Grits can improve feed efficiency slightly, but not when finely ground feeds are fed. Phase feeding helps to reduce the wastage of nutrients caused by feeding more than necessary. Feed intake decreases as the temperature increases over 85 to 90oF. Thus, it may be necessary to increase crude protein to 18 or 20% when temperature exceeds 100oF for an extended time (Chiba, 2014).

The   American   Soybean   Association   (ASA)   (2006)   explained   that   since   the requirement for energy far exceeds the requirement for any other dietary nutrient, the energy level of the feed is the main factor influencing feed intake. For this reason, most other dietary nutrients are required in relation to the energy level of the diet. Since cereal grains make up the majority of the dietary ingredients in most layer diets, and account for a large portion of the energy, it is important to have reasonable and reliable estimates of their energy values (ASA, 2006). American Soybean Association observed that a similar situation exists for vegetable protein supplements, as they often make up the majority of the supplemental protein and thus they also make a significant contribution to energy content of a diet. Nutritive value of layer feed ingredients can be improved by grinding, processing and pelleting and can as well be supplemented with minerals. Pelleting helps to make the minerals present in the feed available for the layers.

Mineral supplement according to Hafeez, Mader, Ruhnke, Röhe, Boroojeni, Yousaf, Männer and Zentek (2015) is an important aspect for optimal egg production. The authors explained that minerals play major roles in vital physiological functions, bone development and egg formation in laying hens. Mabe, Rapp, Bain and Nys (2003) noted that the provision of optimum mineral content in the feed is essential for the production of quality eggs by layers. Egg production by layers can be determined by the number of eggs per layer, laying percentage, egg size, egg defects among others. Feed that is short of some minerals and vitamins may lead to the production of defect eggs such as thin shelled eggs, hair-line crack, star cracks, among others. Poor quality feed can as well lead to decreased egg production, immunity compromise, disease inversion and many more. Feed quality can be improved by the addition of mineral supplements and additives. Feed additives are the non-nutritive substances,  preparations  and  micro-organisms  that  are  added  to  poultry feed  to  improve growth performance, feed intake and the efficiency of feed utilization for healthy, economic and eco-friendly poultry production. Khan, Sarder and Anjum (2007) observed that for many years, feed additives have been widely used to increase animal performance and recently it is used in poultry industry to improve growth, feed efficiency and layer performance. Some of the organic additives that can be added to layer feed include garlic, Moringa, among others.

Moringa  oleifera  is  a  perennial  tree  that  is  grown  in  many parts  of  the  tropics. Moringa oleifera according to Beeker and Sidhuraju in Animashaun and Toye (2013) is a relatively  inexpensive  source  of  nutrition  packed  food  and  supplement  for  humans  and animals. It is rich in health-promoting phytochemicals, various vitamins and minerals. The authors stated that Moringa oleifera leaves have a distinctive, strong, mustard-like taste; they are good source of provitamin A, vitamin B and C, minerals (particularly iron) and the

sulphur containing amino acids, methionine and cysteine. Moringa oleifera leaves contain both phytate and tannins which have the capacity to bind proteins in the gut and depress protein digestibility as well as intestinal uptakes of dietary and endogenous nutrients (Moyo, Masika, Hugo and Muchenje, 2011). In the view of Anwar, Latif, Ashraf and Gilani (2007), the leaves of Moringa oleifera act as a good source of natural antioxidant due to the presence of various types of antioxidant compounds such as ascorbic acid, flavonoids, phenolics and carotenoids. According to the authors, inclusion of Moringa oleifera in broiler and pig feeds has been known to increase growth and enhance feed conversion ratio due to the high protein, Vitamins A, B, C and amino acids compositions of the product. One hundred grammes of dry matter of Moringa leaf contain 29 ± 6g of protein, 28 ± 6g mg of iron, 1,924 ± 288mg of calcium, 15, 620 ± 6,475 1Ս of vitamin A and 773 ± 91mg of vitamin C (Broin, 2012). The author noted that it is at least twice the protein in milk and half the protein in egg, with more iron than that in beef, more calcium than that in milk, equal vitamin A to that in carrot and more vitamin C than that in orange. Optimum nutrients in Moringa oleifera can be realized through the processing of leaves under hygienic conditions.

During processing of Moringa, the leaflets are stripped out of the petiole and washed thoroughly with clean potable water to remove dirts (Sauveur and Broin, 2010). The leaflets are dried indoors and ground when dry. Ugwuoke and Ochiaka (2013) explained that Moringa powder can stay for a long period of time without losing its efficacy provided it is stored dry and under normal temperature. Production and processing of Moringa leaves into powder do not require extra-ordinary procedure and can be done in individual farms, commercial farms, Agricultural Education farms, among others.

Agricultural  Education  according  to  Egbule  in  Ugwuoke  (2013)  is  the  type  of education that is employed in training learners in the improved agricultural production processes, as well as in the techniques for the teaching of agriculture. Agricultural education also refers to the teaching of skills, values, attitudes and related knowledge in production, processing and marketing of agricultural and related products. Agricultural Education needs school farms to help students acquire the necessary agricultural skills that will enable them engage in productive work after graduation.

A school farm is a piece of land or structure where students demonstrate classroom theory in agriculture practically. A school farm according to Osinem (2008) is a piece of land, water or building used for the cultivation of crops and/or rearing of animals or fishes/other aquatic organisms in the school. The author noted that schools establish farms to enable students receive practical experience and instruction in agriculture. Therefore, a school farm can be in the form of maize farm, cassava farm, poultry farm, pig farm, cattle farm, fish farm among others. One of the major objectives of school farms is the development of agricultural knowledge and skills in students by their continuous involvement in farm practices. Unfortunately, agricultural education students after graduation still lack the requisite skills in agriculture especially poultry production. This was attested by Onu and Ugwuoke (2010) that school farms available in some schools were not functional for skills acquisition in Enugu State due to the high cost of poultry feed and as well scarcity of quality poultry feed. The cost of feeding layers exceeds every other cost encountered in layer production. This was the reason Katongole, Nambi-kasozi, Lumu, Bareeba, Presto, Ivarson and Lindberg (2012) reported that the high cost of quality layer feed has led many egg producing farmers in urban and peri-urban areas to adopt feed cost-saving mechanisms, particularly own-feed formulation

and mixing. Hence, the need to explore the potentials of moringa leaf powder as cost-saving quality feed additive for inclusion during layer feed formulation for better layer and egg production.

Statement of the Problem

Food insecurity is of universal and national concern. The population of Nigeria is fast increasing, endangered by high cost of food production and also high cost of poultry products. The population of Nigeria was 186 million people with population growth rate of 2.44%. This population is alarming and agricultural production in the country is low. Protein supply to the teeming population is grossly inadequate due to high cost of production of food especially poultry products. Feed was the main cost of layer production, and often accounts for 60-65% total cost of commercial egg production. Feed cost had often been reported as the major element in the total cost of rearing layers compared to the rearing of other livestock species. High cost of quality feeds limits egg production by disengaging some people who would have gone into egg production to ameliorate protein inadequacies in the country. Moreover, the problem of poor protein supply through egg production was complicated by training Agricultural Education students without exposing them to rearing poultry using school farms.

When students graduate without exposing them to practical training in rearing layers using school farm, the graduates will only be loaded with theoretical knowledge in layers devoid of practical layer production skills. School farms available in some schools were not functional for skills acquisition in Enugu State due to the high cost of poultry feed and as well scarcity of quality poultry feed. When students are practically trained in egg production using Moringa oleifera leaf powder additive to produce layers in school farm, they will contribute

their quota in alleviating the problem of poor protein supply to the Nigerian population after their graduation.

Moreover, inclusion of Moringa oleifera in broiler and pig feed has been known to increase growth and enhance feed conversion ratio due to the high protein, Vitamins A, B, C and amino acids compositions of the product. Hence, the need to determine with the students, the effect of locally produced Moringa oleifera leaf powder additive on the growth of layers, egg production and nutritive value of eggs.

Purpose of the Study

The major purpose of the study was to determine the effects of Moringa oleifera leaf powder on the growth of layers, egg production and nutritive value of eggs in Agricultural Education farms. Specifically, the study sought to determine the:

1.         effects of Moringa oleifera leaf powder fortified feeds and control feed on the growth of layers.

2.         effects of different inclusion rates of Moringa oleifera leaf powder on the growth of layers

3.         effects of Moringa oleifera leaf powder fortified feeds and control feed on the egg production of layers.

4.         effects  of  different  inclusion  rates  of  Moringa  oleifera  leaf  powder  on  the  egg production of layers.

5.         effects  of  Moringa  oleifera  leaf  powder  fortified  feeds  and  control  feed  on  the nutritive value of eggs produced by the layers.

6.         effects of different inclusion rates of Moringa oleifera leaf powder on the nutritive value of eggs produced by the layers.

7.         cost effectiveness of eggs produced with Moringa oleifera leaf powder fortified feeds and the control feed.

8.         cost effectiveness of eggs produced with different inclusion rates of Moringa oleifera

leaf powder.

9.         extent  students  that  participated  in  the  research  work  acquired  skills  on  feed formulation and layer management.

Significance of the Study

The  findings  of  the  study  would  have  practical  and  theoretical  significance. Practically, the findings of the study would be of immense benefit to Students of Agriculture, poultry farmers (Layers), poultry feed manufacturers, researchers and egg consumers.

The study would provide information to students of Agricultural Education on the productive skills in feed formulation and layer husbandry. The students would be part and parcel of the research and by so doing would acquire the practical skills in feed formulation, layer production and research operations. The students will utilize the information to establish their own layer production enterprise (Brood and sell enterprise, point of lay enterprise or egg

production  enterprise)  on  graduation  and  the  research  skills  would  help  some  of  them overcome their research challenges.

Poultry farmers (Layers) would benefit from the results of the research by utilizing the information to articulate materials and organize workshop to train farmers on the inclusion of certain quantity of Moringa oleifera leaf powder into layer feed to get desirable result in egg production. The materials articulated from the findings would also help to train feed manufacturers on the correct quantity of Moringa oleifera leaf powder that can be used to fortify a known quantity of layer feed to obtain known result.

The result of the study would help to articulate materials for conference and workshop to redirect the egg consumption pattern of egg consumers. It is generally known that egg has a high composition of cholesterol. Though the high protein and iron contents of egg are beneficial to children, high cholesterol content of egg is not beneficial to adults. If eventually the inclusion of Moringa oleifera leaf powder lowers the cholesterol content of egg, the consumption of eggs by the adult would increase as the barrier limiting the consumption by adults would be reduced.

This study would serve as a tool in the hands of teachers for training in formal agricultural education setting in  poultry feed formulation and layer production.  It would provide a body of knowledge to researchers and layer farmers who may wish to investigate further into Moringa and layer production and applications. It would give them the insight in the area that was not researched and as well provide foundation for further studies.

The study was anchored on the theory of vocational education which stipulated that effective vocational training can only be given where the training jobs are carried on in the

same way with the same operations, tools and machines as in the occupation itself. The result of this study helped to validate the theory since part of the study was aimed at investigating the extent students that participated in the research work acquired skills on feed formulation and layer management.

Research Questions

The following research questions were formulated to guide the study.

1.         What are the effects of Moringa oleifera leaf powder fortified feeds and control feed on the growth of layers?

2          What are the effects of different inclusion rates of Moringa oleifera leaf powder on the growth of layers?

3.         What are the effects of Moringa oleifera leaf powder fortified feeds and control feed on the egg production of layers?

4          What are the effects of different inclusion rates of Moringa oleifera leaf powder on the egg production of layers?

5.         What are the effects of Moringa oleifera leaf powder fortified feeds and control feed on the nutritive value of eggs produced by the layers?

6.         What are the effects of different inclusion rates of Moringa oleifera leaf powder on the nutritive value of eggs produced by the layers?

7.         What is the cost effectiveness of eggs produced with Moringa oleifera leaf powder fortified feed and the control feed?

8.         What is the cost effectiveness of eggs produced with different inclusion rates of

Moringa oleifera leaf powder?

9.         To what extent do students participated in the research work acquire skills on feed formulation and layer management?

Research Hypotheses

The  following  null  hypotheses  were  formulated  and  were  tested  at  0.05  level  of significance and appropriate degrees of freedom

HO1:   There is no significant difference in the mean growth of layers fed with Moringa oleifera leaf powder fortified feeds and those fed with control feed.

HO2: There is no significant difference in the mean growth of layers fed with different inclusion rates of Moringa oleifera leaf powder.

HO3:   There is no significant difference in the mean egg production of layers fed with

Moringa oleifera leaf powder fortified feeds and those fed with control feed.

HO4: There is no significant difference in the mean egg production of layers fed with different inclusion rates of Moringa oleifera leaf powder.

HO5:   There is no significant difference in the mean nutritive value of eggs produced by layers fed with Moringa oleifera leaf powder fortified feeds and those fed with control feed.

HO6: There is no significant difference in the mean nutritive value of eggs produced by layers fed with different inclusion rates of Moringa oleifera leaf powder.

HO7:   There is no significant difference in the mean cost of eggs produced with Moringa oleifera leaf powder fortified feeds and those fed with control feed.

HO8:   There is no significant difference in the mean cost of eggs produced with different inclusion rates of Moringa oleifera leaf powder.

HO9:     There  is  no  significant  difference  in  the  mean  skills  acquisition  of  participating students on feed formulation and layer husbandry before and after the research work.

Scope of the Study

The study was limited to the effects of Moringa oleifera leaf powder additive on the growth of layers, egg production and nutritive value of eggs in Agriculrual Education farms. The Moringa oleifera additive was included at the rate of 2.5%, 5% and 7.5% respectively. On the growth of layers, the study focused on the average weight, average weight gain, Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR), feed intake and mortality of layers. On the egg production of layers, the study investigated the quantity of eggs produced, average egg weight, average egg mass and laying percentage of layers. Similarly, on the nutritive value of eggs produced by the layers fed with Moringa oleifera leaf powder and the control, the study investigated the proximate composition of the eggs – Metabolizable energy, crude protein, crude fibre, Total fat; Vitamin profile – Vitamin A, Vitamin B1, B2, B3, B5, Vitamin C, Vitamin D and Vitamin E; Mineral profile – Calcium, Iron, Phosphorous, magnesium, potassium, sodium, copper, manganese, selenium, chromium and Zinc; Amino acids profile – arginie, aspartate, serine, cysteine,   glycine,   Isoleucine,   lysine,   histdine,   proline,   methionine,   alanine,   tyrosine, threonine, phenylalanine, leucine, glutamate, asparagine, tryptophan, valine and glutamine; lipid parameters – total cholesterol, triglyceride and free cholesterol. On the cost of eggs

produced with and without Moringa oleifera leaf powder, the study investigated the cost of feed/kg produced.

The study was restricted to Agricultural Education poultry farms located in the Department of Animal Science mini-livestock farms, University of Nigeria, Nsukka with deliberate attempt to include students in the study. Other Vocational Education students were not involved in the study as they do not have sufficient fundamental knowledge in scientific poultry husbandry  and  animal  feed  formulation  research  like  dosing,  weighing,  accurate measurement, among others.

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