Towards sustainable broiler production – Does use of processed velvet bean (mucuna pruiens) as an adjunct protein substitute for soyabean affect broiler performance?

Abstract

A feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary inclusion of processed velvet bean (Mucuna pruriens) on performance in broiler chickens.  After harvesting, the velvet beans were processed to reduce the effect of anti-nutritional factors. The beans where de-coated by cracking and socking in cold water. The water was changed after every 24hours, for six days until the black colour was removed, which could be observed by failure to further taint the water black or grey. After this, the seeds where then cooked for six hours, dried, ground and then mixed with other ingredients to formulate the experimental diets. Diets were formulated to contain 0, 5, 10 and 15% levels of processed velvet bean seed meal respectively.  Two hundred unsexed day-old Cobb 500 broiler chicks were randomly allocated into eight different pens with 25 birds per pen.  The four diets of graded Velvet bean levels of 0%, 5%, 10%, and 15% of the soya bean portion where randomly assigned to the 8 pens of chicks such that there were two pens or replicates per each diet in a Completely Randomised Design (CRD).    Results of the feeding trial showed that average weights of livers, spleen and gizzards generally decreased with increase in proportion of velvet bean in the diet. Broiler performance was compromised with inclusion levels of above 5% as was demonstrated with drastic reduction in feed intake, weights and feed utilisation efficiency. The results revealed that up to 5% processed velvet bean could be included in broiler diets without significant deleterious effects on performance.