Department of Poultry Science Veterinary College and Research Institute, Namakkal-637 002, India.
*Reprint request: Dr. M. Moorthy, Tel: +91-4286-266494; Fax: +91-4286-266494; E-mail: poultrymoorthy@yahoo.co.in
An experiment was conducted using 180 Single Comb White Leghorn layers from 21 to 53 weeks by feeding extracted coconut meal (ECM) to study their production performance. These birds were randomly divided into five treatments with three replicates of twelve birds each. The treatment groups consisted of 0 (T1), 5 (T2), 10 (T3), 15 (T4) and 20 per cent (T5) coconut meal inclusion in the diet. No significant difference was observed feed consumption, feed conversion ratio and livability during the experimental period. Both overall hen housed (199.14) and hen day egg production (88.90%) were significantly (P<0.05) reduced in T5 compared to other treatment groups. The per cent broken eggs was significantly (P<0.05) high in T4 (0.47%) and T5 (0.98%) compared to control group (0.07%). Based upon this study, it is recommended to include the coconut meal up to 10 per cent in egg type ration for better egg production
Extracted coconut meal, White Leghorn layers, Egg production, Performance
