Use of coconut meal as replacement for protein in diets of growing ducklings raised in a biosecure duck-fish system on smallholdings in the Mekong Delta

Bui Xuan Men

Cantho University, Vietnam
bxmen@ctu.edu.vn

Abstract

A study was carried out in Tra Vinh province in the rainy season 2011 to evaluate the use of coconut meal as a protein source to replace protein supplements in diets for crossbred super M ducks during growing stage. The ducks of the experiment were confined in a shed built in the coconut garden that connected with the yard and access the fish pond water surface for swimming and with biosecure controls. All the ducks were fed ad-libitum.

The experiment consisted of a total of 168 growing ducklings from 28-63 days of age. The ducks were randomly allocated into 4 treatment groups with three replicates and each duck plot consisted of 14 ducks balanced in sex. All the ducks were given four diets which contained 16% protein, but with different protein sources from coconut meal. The experimental treatments were: (1) a diets with protein supplement from soybean meal and Tra fish meal as a control diet (CM00), (2) a diet with 5% protein supplement of soybean meal replaced by coconut meal (CM05), (3) a diet with 15% protein supplement of soybean meal replaced by coconut meal (CM15), (4) a diet with 30% protein supplement of soybean meal replaced by coconut meal (CM30) and (5) a diet with 100% protein supplement from coconut meal (CM100).

The experimental results obtained show that daily average feed intakes were 172.9, 174.9, 175.7, 178.0 and 178.3 g/duck (P<0.01); daily average live weight gains were 46.9, 46.1, 43.6, 41.0 and 37.2 g/duck (P<0.001) and feed conversion ratios (kg feed/kg of live weight gain) were 3.7, 3.8, 4.0, 4.3 and 4.8 (P<0.001) for CM00, CM05, CM15 CM30 and CM100, respectively. The use of coconut meal at a level of 5% or 100% protein supplement in the diets decreased feed costs up to from 3.8% to 11%, respectively.

Key words: Crossbred super M duck, duck-fish system, economic benefit, feed conversion ratio, weight gain 

Introduction 

Demand for duck meat by consumers is increasing due to the pork, a main animal meat of the country, suddenly increasing with rather high prices, even double higher than those compared with early year 2011. Difference with the West countries duck meat is a traditional protein food for people in most regions of Vietnam, especially in the remote countryside. At present, activities of the traditional duck production are faced with many problems. The main constraints affecting the free-grazing system today include the fact that the time available for the ducks to scavenge the fields between harvests has decreased, or been limited, because the land needs to be prepared as quickly as possible for new early-maturing, high-yielding rice varieties. On the other hand, the payments for rice fields for scavenging ducks have increased, up to 65-75 US$ per hectare post harvest during 2-3 months in the early flooding season. These practices induce difficulties for duck producers if they want to keep their ducks by traditional systems. 

In recent years producers have been encouraged to keep and increase coconut production areas for both drinking and processing. In processing coconut oil a by-product called as coconut meal with rather high nutrients that can be used partially in animal feeds.  

Climate change, when the earth becomes warmer and sea water level higher will influence directly the lives and agricultural production of people in the Delta. So, ducks and fish will be candidates to develop in a sustainable way, because they are living agents with low impacts on the greenhouse effect and with low difficulties if they are kept in the water environment with rising levels, and could be integrated into production systems all the year round. 

In order to supply duck meat products for consumption increasing of the people in the country, an experiment is proposed and carried out in 2011- 2012 being “Use of coconut meal as replacements for the protein in imported soya bean meal in diets of growing ducks raised in a biosecure duck-fish system on smallholdings in the Mekong Delta”. 

Objectives 

·         To study effect of coconut meal levels in diets on growth performance of crossbred meat ducks.

·         To evaluate efficiency of using coconut meal as a protein supplement to replace for imported soybean meal on economic effects. 

·         To introduce to farmers the idea of using by-product from coconut oil processing feed sources for poultry production and prevention environmental pollution.

Materials and Methods

Location and duration  

The experiment was carried out on a household farm in Tra Vinh, a province in the Mekong Delta area, where many coconut trees planted for juice fruit and processing coconut oil. The trial was started from June to September (rainy season) of 2011. 

Experimental design 

The experiment was carried out on 182 growing ducklings after brooding and started from 4 to 9 weeks of age. The birds were identified and then individually weighed initially and at slaughter. They were allocated at random to five treatments with 3 replicates of 14 birds per replicate and balanced for sex within replicate.  The treatments were different levels of coconut meal used to replace for soybean meal in diets for feeding ducks as follows: 

- CM00: Ducks fed a commercial mash feed containing 16% protein (control) 

- CM05: Ducks fed a diet contained 5% coconut protein replaced for soybean protein in CM00 

- CM15: Ducks fed a diet contained 15% coconut protein replaced for soybean meal in CM00  

- CM30: Ducks fed a diet contained 30% coconut protein replaced for soybean meal in CM00 

- CM100: Ducks fed a diet contained 100% coconut protein as protein supplement in diet 

All the ducks were fed ad-libitum. 

Animals and management 

The ducks of the experiment were confined in a shed built in the coconut garden that connected with the yard and access the fish pond water surface for swimming and with biosecure controls. The roof of the shed was covered with canvas sheets and each duck plot was separated by nylon net to keep and limit the ducks living inside each plot area as shown in photo 1. Also, a nylon net fence was established surround the house to prevent the strange animal from outside penetrating and endangering the ducks. Each the duck plot has access to the limited water surface of the small pond for swimming.

Photo 1: The shed used for experimental ducks	Photo 2: Ducklings in the brooding stage prepared for the trial	hoto 3: Experimental ducks at slaughter

Ducklings prepared for the experiment were brooded in a part of the shed from 1 to 28 days of age. The ducks were vaccinated to prevent duck plague, avian influenza, and pasteurellosis diseases. And some antibiotic drugs were used to prevent the common diseases by E. coli. Both feeders and drinkers were cleaned daily in the morning. Also, cleaning duck house was daily carried out and disinfection was periodically sprayed to prevent dangerous diseases for the ducks in the trial. 

Experimental Feeding  

The coconut meal was purchased in each batch and carefully checked to prevent the mouldy infection. Feedstuffs used in the diets such as maize, brown rice, rice bran meal, Tra fish meal, soybean meal, bone meal were purchased in the agencies in the village.

Photo 4: Coconut cake before grinding used in the trial	Photo 5: Meat duck fed diet completely supplemented coconut meal protein.

Data collection 

Feeds supplied and refused were daily weighed and recorded to measure daily feed intake. Feed samples were analysed for chemical composition and nutrient values. The birds were identified and then individually weighed initially and at slaughter (photo 5). 

Chemical analyses 

The samples of maize, brown rice, rice bran meal, soybean meal, coconut meal and bone meal were analysed for dry matter (DM), crude protein, crude fiber, ether extract, nitrogen free extract, ash, calcium, phosphorus by standard AOAC methods (AOAC (1990) at the laboratories of Cantho University. 

Metabolizable energy (ME) contents of all diets were calculated from chemical analysis data using the equation of Nehring and Haenline (1973), estimated digestibility coefficients for each feedstuff were  according to  NIAH (1992) and adjusted according to  the nitrogen level accumulated in poultry body (NIAH, 2000).

Statistical analysis     

The data were analysed by analysis of variance using the ANOVA General Linear Model procedure of MINITAB version 16 program statistical software (2009). 

Results and discussion

Chemical composition of feedstuffs and diets           

The coconut meal used in the experiment contained a high DM content, average of 95.1% because a new feed that processed near by the village. The nutrient concentrations of the feed used in the trial are shown in table 1. The crude protein content in coconut meal (19.5%) was lower than in soybean meal (44.3%). Nutrient composition such as protein, fiber and energy of coconut meal analysed and used in the experiment are equivalent with the data reported on feedstuff in the South Vietnam by La Van Kinh (2003).  

Use of different levels of coconut meal in diets for feeding meat ducks was the first trial conducted in the village of the province to look for reasonable rates in rations of the ducks produced in the Delta. The level of 45% coconut meal was one of maximum levels formulated with other main feedstuffs produced at the local village. 

Data in table 2 show that coconut meal used in the diet CM100 was rather high, up to 45 % to meet protein level in the diet for growing requirement of meat ducks. However, with the high fiber and low protein contents from coconut meal involved in diet so, not only the dietary energy and protein levels of the CM100 diet are lower than those of other treatments, but also the higher fiber content contained in it (8.2%).   
 

Feed intake           

Feed intakes and feed conversion ratios of the experimental ducks are shown in table 3. Data from table 3 show that the daily average daily feed intakes of duck is a tendency for treatment CM05 to CM100 to be higher than control treatment CM00 (P<0.002). However, the ducks in the CM100 treatment received daily ME intakes lowest (P<0.001).  

Growth rate  

Data from table 4 show that the higher levels of coconut meal (over 5%) involved in the diets for meat ducks the higher feed conversion ratios and the less live weight gains reached for growing ducks. The gain results obtained from the ducks fed 5% coconut meal in diet (figure 1) is the same as the ducks fed the diet with only protein supplement from soybean meal. This observation is suitable with the study and report of Duong Thanh Liem (2008) that 5% coconut meal was a reasonable level involved in poultry diets.

Carcass evaluation 

Even though there are significantly differences in live weights, carcass weights and carcass yields among slaughter ducks fed diets with or without coconut meals, but there are no significant difference on chest and thigh weight rates among treatments of the trial. Especially, the ducks fed the diet with 100% protein supplement from coconut meal gave small intestine, large intestine and caeca lengths higher than those of the ducks fed the diet without coconut meal. 

Economic analysis 

Data on feed costs in table 6 show that each kg of live weight gain of the ducks fed diets contained coconut meal (CM05 and CM100) are lower than the ducks fed control diet without coconut meal, because of purchasing coconut meal at low price that produced in the village. If producers use completely protein supplements from coconut meal for feeding meat ducks they could reduce feed costs up to 11% when compared with using soybean meal. 

Beside benefits received from the lower feed costs to feed the ducks, cat fish raised in the integrated duck-fish pond increased total benefit for producers, because fish consumed duck manure as a feed source of fish in the integration system without any purchase.

 Conclusions

• Results obtained from the trial on growing meat ducks fed coconut meal as protein supplements in diets raised in the village of the Mekong Delta show that:

• Use of 5% coconut meal formulated with feedstuffs produced in the village to feed growing meat ducks obtained good results on live weight gain and feed conversion ratio.

• Use of coconut meal as complete replacement for protein supplement in diets of growing meat ducks decreased the weight gain. Use of coconut meal in diets of meat ducks decreased feed costs up to 3.8 - 11%.

• Duck producers could use local feeds such as coconut meal for raising poultry besides getting economic benefits but also increase knowledge in integrated duck-fish production and improve agricultural environment in the local area.

References
 

AOAC 1990 Official Methods of Analysis, 15^th edition. AOAC Inc., Washington DC.

Duong Thanh Liem 2008 Poultry feed and nutrition. Agriculture Publishing House, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

La Van Kinh 2003 Chemical composition and nutritive values animal feeds in Vietnam. Agriculture Publishing House, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Minitab Reference Manual 2009 Minitab professional Version 16.1.0 program statistical software. Minitab Inc. USA.

Nehring K and Haenlein G F W 1973 Feed evaluation and ration calculations based on net energy. Journal of animal science 36, 949-964.

NIAH, National Institute of Animal Husbandry () 1992 Feed for Poultry Composition and

Nutritive Value of Animal Feeds in Vietnam. Agricultural Publishing House, Hanoi, pp140-188.

NIAH, National Institute Animal Husbandry 2000 Composition and nutritive value of animal feeds in Vietnam. Agriculture Publishing House, Hanoi, Vietnam.

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