Time of feeding and predictability of dry matter and water intake of grasscutters fed on grass and supplements containing varying levels of dietary fiber.

The study evaluated the feeding behavior of growing male grasscutters (Thryonomys swinderianus) fed freshly cut Panicum maximum, supplemented with pelletized concentrates containing varying levels of dietary fiber. In a two-stage 4 × 4 Latin square arrangement, the relationships between water and dry matter intakes as influenced by dietary characteristics were investigated by offering supplements either at 09:00 h (morning) during the first stage or at 17:00 h (evening) during the second. Each test period lasted for 14 days with a 1-week rest period between changeovers. Time of feeding significantly (P < 0.05) affected total dry matter intake (DMI) and intake of the supplements, with the total DMI increasing by 21% when the diets were offered in the evening relative to when offered in the morning. Regression analyses showed significant (P < 0.05) correlations between dry matter (DM) and water intakes against some dietary characteristics. The current study has shown that crude fiber (CF) inclusion of up to 14% in pelletized supplements for growing grasscutters consuming a basal diet with CF up to 31% may not affect feed and water intake, as well as acceptability of the feed. However, feeding such supplements in the evening could stimulate higher feed intake. Also, dietary DM better predicted DMI compared to the other dietary characteristics.

Effects of replacing fishmeal with black soldier fly larval meal in the diets of grower-finishing guinea fowls reared under tropical conditions.

The study was conducted with the view to determine the impact of replacing fishmeal with black soldier fly larval meal (BSFLM) on growing guinea fowls. BSFLM replaced fishmeal (3% in the control diet) in the ratios of 0, 20, 40, 60, 80, and 100% to produce six dietary treatments, which were iso-caloric and iso-nitrogenous. Two hundred and forty-eight-week old guinea fowls with mean live weight of 273.2 ± 10.9 g were tagged, weighted, and randomly assigned to 24 (6 × 4) floor pens; each pen was treated as a replicate. Feed and water were provided ad libitum during the entire period, which lasted 10 weeks. Feed consumption differed among the treatment groups (P = 0.0072) with the 100% fishmeal diets recording the lowest. Daily gain was significantly (P = 0.009) higher for birds fed high BSFLM diets compared to the control (100% fishmeal diet). The inclusion of BSFLM in the diets elicited positive linear effect on weight gains of the guinea fowls (R2 = 0.91) with increasing concentration resulting in higher live weight gains. The feed conversion ratio (FCR) also differed between treatments (P < 0.05) but similar for the 100% fishmeal (control) and 100% BSFLM diets. Organ and haematopoitic integrity were equally assured regardless of levels of the protein sources fed to the birds. Generally, meats from birds fed 60 to 100% BSFLM and from hens were more acceptable. A study to evaluate the economics of utilising BSFLM in guinea fowl production is recommended.

Impact of black soldier fly larval meal on growth performance, apparent digestibility, haematological and blood chemistry indices of guinea fowl starter keets under tropical conditions.

In order to assess the impact of larval meal on guinea fowl, six iso-caloric and iso-nitrogenous diets were fed to day-old-keets ad libitum till 8 weeks of age. Water was also freely provided. The fishmeal (FM) component of the experimental diets was replaced with black soldier fly larval meal (BSFLM) in the following percentage ratios of 0-100%. Results showed that body weight gain significantly (P < 0.05) increased in all the BSFLM treatment groups compared to the control group. The final body weight of the birds at age 8 weeks differed significantly (P < 0.001). Dry matter intake varied (P < 0.001) slightly among the birds but never affected (P > 0.05) ME intake and faecal output as well as weight changes of the keets. Digestibility of dry matter and energy were not affected (P > 0.05) by the differences in diet. Organ and haematopoietic integrity were assured regardless of the protein types used as well as levels of inclusion. The results suggest that the replacement of fishmeal with BSFLM in so far as the economics of production is concerned could result in reduced feed cost for starter guinea keet judging from diets that contained 60-100% BSFLM.