2005 Volume 42 Issue 4 Pages 308-320
The nutritional value of khesari (Lathyrus sativus), a grain legume, was determined for growing and laying pullets. Chemical analyses indicated khesari to be high in crude protein (283g/kg) and low in fat (12.0g/kg) with estimated true metabolizable energy concentration of 12.0MJ/kg. Four hundred Shaver 579 brown pullets belonging to same source were randomly assigned to 4 dietary treatments with 100 pullets each. Least-cost isocaloric and isonitrogenous diet containing raw khesari at 0, 100, 150 or 200g/kg were formulated and fed to grower and pullet developer birds separately during 12-18 weeks and 19-22 weeks respectively. This was followed by feeding layer diets during 23-34 weeks of age. The performance of grower chicks during 12-18 wks of age showed no significant effect on body weight gain and FCR but feed intake increased linearly (P<0.05) and differed significantly when the dietary level of raw khesari was 200g/kg. On the other hand, during 19-22 weeks, the birds showed increased body weight gain and feed intake and improved FCR (P<0.01) when they consumed the highest level of khesari (200g/kg). Layer performance in terms of egg production, egg mass and FCR were declined as the dietary levels of khesari was increased showing a clear-cut linear effect. It was concluded from the study that khesari supported growth performance in pullets either similar to or better than the control birds at the levels tested and that it is well tolerable for layers up to 150g/kg dietary level without experiencing any remarkable deleterious effects. Khesari did not show any symptoms typical to lathyrism in both grower and layer birds at the levels tested.
