Utilization of sunflower seed meal in Vanaraja chicken diet

Two experiments were conducted with Vanaraja chicken to study the possibility of replacing soybean meal (SBM) and deoiled rice bran with sunflower seed meal (SFM) in diet during the initial 28d of age. In each experiment, one hundred and sixty eight, day old Vanaraja chicks were equally distributed in to 28 battery brooder pens, seven birds in each pen. A reference diet containing SBM as the principal source of protein was prepared with 2700 kcal ME and 18% crude protein. The protein contributed by SBM in reference diet was replaced at 0, 33, 67 and 100% and the CP contents in the respective diets were 18, 17.15, 16.19 and 14.4%. In experiment 1, the concentrations of lysine and methionine were kept constant (0.87 and 0.405%, respectively) in all the diets. In experiment 2, the concentrations of these critical amino acids progressively decreased in proportion to the level of dietary protein. Each diet was fed ad libitum to six replicates from 1-28d of age. In both the experiments, weight gain, feed efficiency, relative weights of gizzard and intestine and length of intestine were not affected by replacing SBM with SFM up to 100% with or without adjusting concentrations of methionine and lysine in diet. However, the relative weights of liver and abdominal fat increased significantly with increase in level of SFM in diet. The cost of feed required to produce one kg live weight gain in SFM100% fed group, with and without amino acid adjustment was less by 1.44 and 1.16, respectively compared to the SBM reference diet fed group. Based on the result it is concluded that SBM could be replaced completely with SFM as the principal source of protein in Vanaraja chick diet (1 to 28d of age) containing 14.4% protein, 0.696% lysine and 0.324% methionine.