Author(s)

Hervé Mube Kuietche^1*, Cyrille D’Alex Tadondjou², Rubens Ngouana Tadjong³, Josiane Lobeng Mouaffo⁴, Fostso  ⁴, Jean Raphael Kana¹, Alexis Teguia¹

¹Faculty of Agriculture and Agricultural Sciences, University of Dschang, Dschang, Cameroon.
²National Higher Polytechnic School of Maroua, University of Maroua, Maroua, Cameroon.
³Institute of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, University of Douala, Douala, Cameroon.
⁴Higher Teacher Training School of Bambili, University of Bamenda, Bamenda, Cameroon.

A cheap, safe and available alternative protein source to soybean is a huge priority for the developing world. This study is aimed at evaluating the effects of Desmodium uncinatum leaf meal incorporation levels in the diet on Lohmann Brown hens’ laying performances. For this purpose, 60 Lohmann Brown hens aged 33 weeks with an average weight of 1.78 kg were randomly assigned to 3 treatment groups of 20 birds each with 4 replicates. The experimental treatments consisted of DULM ₀, DULM₅, and DULM₁₀ containing 0, 5 and 10 kg of D. uncinatum leaf meal (DULM) per 100 kg of feed respectively. The results reveal that except for the weights of hens, laying performances were significantly affected (p < 0.05) by DULM in the diet. Daily feed intake was lower with 10% incorporation of DULM in the diet as compared to a diet with 5% DULM which recorded the highest value for this parameter. Moreover, the highest value for the egg weight, egg mass, yolk index, albumen index and egg production were recorded with diet DULM₅. On the other hand, the diet with 10% of DULM (DULM₁₀) recorded the highest relative shell weight, feed conversion ratio and egg price. Nevertheless, the mortality rate found in this study was 0% for all treatments confirming the good quality of DULM as protein feedstuff for layer. It was concluded that incorporation levels of D. uncinatum leaves at 5% in the diet improved the laying performances of Lohmann Brown hens.

Desmodium uncinatum, Laying Hens, Egg Production, Egg Quality

Kuietche, H. , Tadondjou, C. , Tadjong, R. , Mouaffo, J. ,  , F. , Kana, J. and Teguia, A. (2023) Effects of Desmodium uncinatum Leaf Meal in the Diet on Lohmann Brown Hens’ Laying Performance and Eggs Quality. Open Journal of Animal Sciences, 13, 166-178. doi: 10.4236/ojas.2023.131012.