Effect of supplementing rice bran with ensiled taro and catfish residue  on growth performance of Guinea-fowl

Pham Tan Nha and T R Preston*

Can Tho University, VietNam
ptnha@ctu.edu.vn
* UTA (Colombia), AA#48, Santander, Colombia
 

Abstract

120 Guinea-fowl, from thirty-five day-old were allocated in a Completely Randomize Design 4 groups with 3 replications for 56 day growth trial. All birds were given a basal diet of rice bran and ensiled taro foliage, mixed or fed separately, with or without by-product of catfish  as additional protein source according to a 2*2 factorial arrangement. The factors were:

• Feeding method: Mixed or free choice of rice bran and taro silage
• Protein supplement: None or 5% (DM basis) of catfish residue

Individual treatments were:

·         MET: rice bran and ensiled taro foliage mixed in ratio of 75:25 (DM basis)

·         ALET:  rice bran and ensiled taro foliage each offered ad libitum  

·         CFMET: rice bran and ensiled taro foliage mixed in ratio of 75:25 (DM basis) plus 5% of diet DM as catfish residue

·         CFALET:  rice bran and ensiled taro foliage each offered ad libitum plus 5% of diet DM as catfish residue

Dry matter ( DM) intakes were higher for ALET (101.3g/day) than  CFMET (94.2g/day) and CFALET (96.8g/day). Average daily weight gain were higher  for CFMET (16.9g/day) than CFALET, MET and ALET (15.3, 15.1 and 13.9 g/day, respectively). FCR were lower for CFMET (5.6) than CFALET, MET and ALET (6.4, 6.5 and 7.3, respectively).

Key words: Guinea-fowl, ensiled taro, catfish residue

Introduction

Conventional protein supplements such as soybean and fish meal have increased in price and this trend is likely to increase in future due to pressure on food supplies by the increasing population. There is a need to develop feeding systems which make greater use of feeds that are not in direct competition with human nutrition. Plants such as water spinach, duckweed and taro can be grown by the farmer and the leaves which have high protein content have potential as animal feed. Limiting factors in vegetable protein are often the amino acids lysine and methionine. These can be provide from synthetic sources but they are also in high concentration in meals of animal original such as cat fish residue.

Wild taro (Colocasia esculenta) is known as a wet-land plant which is different from cultivated taro (for corm production) because its corm is very small and the calcium oxalate content in the plant is high, causing irritation in the epithelium of animals that consume it. The plant is 0.6 to more than 1 m high, depending on the soil fertility. Wild taro naturally grows along the canals, rivers and  ponds, and flourishes particularly in waste water sources. Traditionally, farmers ferment taro tuber for human food. Leaves and stems are only used for animal feeding. Around 96% of Cambodian farmers interviewed say that they boiled taro before feeding it to their pigs, 17 % of the farmers used sugar palm syrup to reduce itching after boiling, while 2% used salt, frying or sun drying.  The most common method to reduce the oxalate is boiling, but this takes time and firewood (Pheng Buntha et al., 2008).

As many studies have reported, wild taro leaves have quite high nutritive value for pigs with 26.3% crude protein (CP) (Chhay Ty et al., 2007). In this study it was also observed that the DM consumption of dried leaves was twice that of the ensiled form. Calcium oxalate crystals, a substance present in all parts of this plant, have an effect on digestive tract by irritating the throat and mouth epithelium. In order to reduce the concentration of calcium oxalate in taro plants, commonly, people cook the corm before eating. Besides before being fed to animals, taro leaves are dried to reduce the anti-nutritional substances and after that ensiled to preserve them longer. The process of ensiling the taro leaves was more effective than sun-drying in reducing the calcium oxalate. The percent of calcium oxalate was reduced from 3.08% in fresh Taro leaves to 1.10% in sun-dried leaves and minimized at 0.11% in ensiled form (Pheng Buntha et al., 2008).  

Recently, Nguyen Thi Giang (2010) has shown that ducks can be fattened economically on rice bran supplementged only with ensiled taro foliage and minerals.

There have been no agronomic studies on the wild taro, perhaps because it grows naturally in the Mekong delta.  It is important to investigate ways of optimizing the growth of taro, if it is to be considered as a potential protein supplementin for live stock in the Mekong delta.

The proposed project will examine the response to fish meal of poultry fed the traditional diet of rice bran when this is supplemented with ensiled taro.

In order to apply a  biosecure model, the proposed  experiment will be carried out with growing poultry, housed in pens, using ensiled wild taro (Colocasia esculenta) as the protein source. Health care procedures will be followed strictly.

The Mekong Delta is the main catfish producing region in Vietnam, in which Angiang and Dongthap Province and Cantho City accounted for most of the intensive catfish production (Chau Thi Da et al., 2010). The development of Tra (Pangasius hypophthalmus) and Basa (Pangasius bocourti) catfish production is seen in both the number of ponds and stocking density, with highly intensive culture systems developing in the frontiers of the Mekong Delta in recent years. The increase of fillet production for export, which is a high value product, has increased the living standard of people in the Mekong Delta in the Southern part of Vietnam (Pham Van Khanh, 2004). The industrial catfish farms have been rapidly developing, and are the most important form of aquaculture. Recently, catfish production was over one million tons from 6,000 ha of water area in the Mekong Delta in 2009, and this is expected to increase to up to 1.5 million tons from 8,600 ha in 2010, and is predicted to be up to 11,000 and 13,000 ha by 2015 and 2020, respectively (Chau Thi Da et al., 2010).

The by-products of catfish processing include heads, skin and viscera, which are the main products, and account for almost 60 % of the volume that enters the processing factories. This means that catfish by-product is an important potential source of nutrients of high value for livestock feed (Lovell, 1980). According to Nguyen Thi Thuy et al. (2007), the by-products (head and bone, broken meat and skin) from the fillet processing factories in Angiang province and Cantho city account for 65 % of the volume, which means that this has a great potential as a source of protein for animal feeds.

Materials and methods

Location and climate of the study area

Experiments was conducted in a private farm in Can tho City, Vietnam. The climate is divided into two seasons: the rainy season (from May to November), and the dry season (from December to April). The annual average temperature is 28ºC. The highest mean daily temperature is 34ºC - 37ºC from April to May and the lowest 21ºC - 22ºC, from December to January. The annual rainfall is 1,400-1,500mm.  

Treatments and design

120 Guinea-fowl, from thirty-five day-old were allocated in a Completely Randomize Design 4 groups with 3 replications for 56 day growth trial. All birds were given a basal diet of rice bran and ensiled taro foliage, mixed or fed separately, with or without by-product of catfish  as additional protein source according to a 2*2 factorial arrangement. The factors were:

• Feeding method: Mixed or free choice of rice bran and taro silage
• Protein supplement: None or 5% (DM basis) of catfish residue

Individual treatments were:

·         MET: rice bran and ensiled taro foliage mixed in ratio of 75:25 (DM basis)

·         ALET:  rice bran and ensiled taro foliage each offered ad libitum  

·         CFMET: rice bran and ensiled taro foliage mixed in ratio of 75:25 (DM basis) plus 5% of diet DM as catfish residue

·         CFALET:  rice bran and ensiled taro foliage each offered ad libitum plus 5% of diet DM as catfish residue

Management

One-day-old Guinea-fowl were carefully selected in breeding farms with known origin of the eggs. The Guinea-fowl were fed commercial feeds from the second day until 4 days before starting the trial. The temperature was maintained at 32-35^oC for the first 7 days and then reduced steadily to normal ambient temperatures. The Guinea-fowl were trained to become used to the experimental feeds from the seventh day by mixing increasing amounts with the commercial feed.  Vaccinations against two dangerous diseases were done.

The trial took 56 days (started when the Guinea-fowl reached 36 days of age and finished when they were 92 days of age). 

Animal housing

The experimental Guinea-fowl were kept in 1.5m²pens in a simple house constructed of bamboo and wire nets. The floor was overlaid with 20 cm of sand for bedding. Feeders and drinkers were put in each cage (Photo 1 and 2). Plastic tanks were arranged for bathing.

Feed and feeding

Taro petioles and leaves were harvested from plants growing on roadsides and other unused areas. These materials were chopped into 2-3 cm lengths with a knife, partially sun-dried to reduce the moisture to 75-80%, and packed tightly into plastic bags (50 littes capacity). The bags were covered with plastic sheets and stored at room temperature. After 4-5 days, the taro silage changed color to dark brown with a palatable smell and was then ready for use (Photo 3).

The Guinea-fowl were fed three times per day (in the morning, at noon and in the afternoon) and they were fed ad libitum on each of the treatments.

Measurements and chemical analysis

The Guinea-fowl were weighed weekly. Feed intake was recorded daily. Samples of feeds offered were analyzed for DM and crude protein by AOAC (1990) methods.

Statistical analysis

Regression or ANOVA analysis in Minitab software (Minitab 2000) was applied to the data depending on the nature of the observed responses in growth and feed conversion ratio. Sources of variation were treatments and error. 

Results and discussion

Dry matter (DM) intakes were higher for ALET (101.3g/day) than  CFMET (94.2g/day) and CFALET (96.8g/day). DM Taro silage intakes were higher for MET and CFMET (24.6g/day and 23.6g/day) than ALET and CFALET (21.7g/day and 16.2g/day). Average daily weight gain were higher  for CFMET (16.9g/day) than CFALET, MET and ALET (15.3, 15.1 and 13.9 g/day, respectively). Average daily weight gain were higher  for CFMET than research of Saina (2005), (16.9g/day and 12.3g/day,respectively). Average daily weight gain were lower  for CFMET than research of Ton That Thinh (2010), (16.9g/day and 17.7g/day,respectively). FCR were lower for CFMET (5.6) than CFALET, MET and ALET (6.4, 6.5 and 7.3, respectively). (Table 4). FCR were higher for CFMET (5.6) than research of Ton That Thinh (2010), (3.5), because the research of Ton That Thinh (2010) used concentrated feed. This study was higher with average live weight of 1.11-1.29 kg attained at 12 weeks of age  on station (S J Nsoso al 2006). In other  this study was lower with average live weight of 1.5 kg attained at 16 weeks of age under semi-intensive management system on station (Ayorinde et al 1989; Mundra et al 1993).

Dry matter (DM) intake of taro silage was higher for factor of MIX (24.1g/day) than  factor of AD LIB (19g/day). Average daily weight gain was higher  for factor of MIX (16.0g/day) than factor of AD LIB (14.6 g/day). FCR was lower for factor of MIX (6.0) than factor of AD LIB (6.8).

DM intake was higher for factor of WITHOUT (99.9g/day) than  factor of WITH (95.5g/day). Average daily weight gain was higher  for factor of WITH (16.1g/day) than factor of WITHOUT (14.5 g/day). FCR was lower for factor of WITH (6.0) than factor of WITHOUT (6.9).

Conclusions                                  

Based on the results from this trial, it can be concluded that:   

• Treatment (CFMET) rice bran and ensiled taro foliage mixed in ratio of 75:25 (DM basis) plus 5% of diet DM as catfish residue was best.
• Feeding system of MIXED was bester than feeding system of FREE CHOICE of rice bran and taro silage.
• Feeding system of CFR 5% (DM basis) was bester than feeding system of No CFR.

Acknowledgments

I am grateful to the MEKARN Program, financed by Sida-SAREC, for the opportunity to undertake this experiment

References

AOAC 1990 Official methods of chemical analysis. Association of Official Agricultural Chemists (15^th ed) Washington DC.

Ayorinde K L, Ayeni J S O and Oluyemi J A 1989 Laying characteristics and reproductive performance of four indigenous helmeted guinea fowl varieties (Numidia meleagris galeata pallas) in Nigeria. Tropical Agriculture Trinidad 66 (3): 277-280

Chhay Ty, Khieu Borin, T R Preston and Mea Sokveasna 2007 Intake, digestibility and N retention by growing pigs fed ensiled or dried Taro (Colocasia esculenta) leaves as the protein supplement in basal diets of rice bran/broken rice or rice bran/cassava root meal. Livestock Research for Rural Development. Volume 19, Article #137.  http://www.cipav.org.co/lrrd/lrrd19/9/chha19137.htm

Dao Thi My Tien, Nguyen Tuyet Giang and T R Preston 2010: A note on ensiling banana pseudo-stem with Taro (Colocasia esculenta) leaves and petioles. http://www.mekarn.org/workshops/pakse/abstracts/tien_agu2.htm

Nguyen Thi Thuy, Nguyen Tan Loc, Lindberg J E and B Ogle B 2007 Survey of the production, processing and nutritive value of catfish by product meals in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam. Livestock Research for Rural Development 19, 124. http://www.lrrd.org/lrrd19/9/thuy19124.htm

Pheng Buntha, Khieu Borin, T R Preston and B Ogle  2008  Survey of taro varieties and their use in selected areas of Cambodia.  Livestock Research for Rural Development. Volume 20, supplement.  http://www.cipav.org.co/lrrd/lrrd20/supplement/bunt1.htm

Saina H, Kusina N T, Kusina J F, Bhebhe E and Lebel S 2005 Guinea fowl Production by Indigenous Farmers in Zimbabwe. Livestock Research for Rural Development. Volume 17, Article 101. http://www.cipav.org.co/lrrd/lrrd17/9/sain17101.htm

S J Nsoso, M H D Mareko and C Molelekwa (2006) Comparison of growth and morphological parameters of guinea fowl (Numida meleagris) raised on concrete and earth floor finishes in Botswana. Livestock Research for Rural Development. Volume 18, Article 178. http://www.cipav.org.co/lrrd/lrrd18/12/sain17101.htm

Ton That Thinh (2010) Effects of different levels of water hyacinth in the diet on daily weight gain, nutrient digestibility and nitrogen retention of growing guinea fowls.MSc Thesis, College of Agriculture and Applied Biology, Can Tho University

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