Summary
A study into the market potential for the inclusion of sunflower ram-press oilcake in peri-urban and rural livestock feeds by poor livestock keepers. The outputs of the project enable small-scale peri-urban and rural oilseed processors, and small poultry producers, to make informed judgements on the appropriate utilisation of oilseed cakes in poultry diets.
The development of poultry feeds in rural areas has been constrained by lack of information on the
feeding value of potential protein sources such as sunflower cake produced by the ram press. The
ram-pressed cake is high in fibre, protein and fat, and is a valuable source of energy, lysine and
methionine for poultry. Selective sieving of the cake can reduce the fibre level by approximately 28%
and increase the protein level by 15%. In vitro digestibility studies (gas production) indicate that the
ram-pressed cake may be slowly degraded in the rumen.
Low–fibre sunflower residue included in the diet is a viable option for improving production in smallholder–owned poultry. No adverse effects on performance, from feeding sunflower seed residue were observed. Hybrid chickens reared on free-range showed limited scavenging ability. Village chickens are poorer feed converters in pens than on free-range. However, the performance of village chickens improved with age, with improved feed efficiency, gross margin and return per dollar at 12 weeks compared to eight weeks. The meat of village chicken contains more protein and less fat than hybrids, indicating possible market advantages for village chickens.
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| Primary Relevance |
Low - High |
| Feeding and Nutrition |
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| Animal Health |
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| Commodities and Markets |
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| Other Husbandry |
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| Policy Relevance |
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