The effect of stocklength, stock diameter and planting angle on early establisment of Gliricidia sepium.

Legume tree crops, which establish easily and do not require extensive agronomic inputs, constitute potentially valuable sources of supplementary feeds that subsistence and medium-scale livestock farmers in the tropics could use to improve livestock nutrition and productivity. A field trial was conducted with Gliricidia sepium cuttings to investigate the effect if three stock lengths (20, 30 and 40 cm), two stock diameters (1.5-2.5) and (3.0-3.5 cm) and three planting angles (30 degrees, 60 degrees and 90 degrees) in a factorial experiment. There were high significant differences (p < 0.05) in all the growth parameters of the stock diameters and stock lengths used. The highest dry matter yield of 3.83, 4.61 and 4.65 t ha(-1) were produced by stock length 20, 30 and 40 cm, respectively. The highest planting angle of 90 degrees produced the tallest shoot height and biggest basal diameter, while the least planting angle of 30 degrees produced the least shoot height and basal diameter, respectively. The interactions between the smaller stock diameter and the least planting angle (30 degrees) produced the least values of growth parameters. Gliricidia cuttings could be easily established with thicker stock diameter of not less than 3.0 and 40 cm stock length, planting in an angle between 60 and 90 degrees.

Effects of underfeeding on semen quality of Rhode Island cocks.

Fifty Rhode Island chickens were randomly assigned to five treatments with ten cocks in each treatment. Group I cocks (full fed control) received 140 g of a 16% CP growers ration per cock per day. Cocks in Group II, III, IV and V received 98, 70, 42 and 28 g of the same ration per cock per day, representing 70, 50, 30 and 20% of Group I intake, respectively. The feeding trials lasted for 8 weeks during which one ejaculate per day was collected from each cock using the massage technique. The ejaculated semen samples were subjected to both physical and biochemical evaluations. Results showed that cocks that were severely underfed (i.e., Groups IV and V) took significantly longer time (p<0.01) to ejaculate. In addition, ejaculation failures were encountered more frequently with the severely underfed cocks than in cocks that were moderately underfed (i.e., Groups II and III). There were however, no significant differences in most of the biochemical parameters between cocks I all the treatment groups. Ejaculate volume, progressive sperm motility and sperm concentration were significantly depressed (p<0.01) in the severely underfed cocks than in the moderately underfed cocks. Thus, this study revealed that providing Rhode Island red and white cocks with one-halfto three-quarter (i.e., 50-70%) of their normal daily ration would neither undermine their semen producing ability nor affect their semen quality adversely.

Effect of progesterone secretion on egg production in the grey helmet guinea fowl (Numida meleagris galleata).

The effect of progesterone (P4) on egg production was investigated using twenty female guinea fowls raised on deep litter. The birds were given feed and water ad-libitum. They were routinely bled by wing jab between the hours of 9.00 and 10.00 am twice a month for P4 determination. Sera harvested from the samples were stored at -20 degrees C until assayed for P4 by Radio-Immuno-Assay method (RIA). Egg production had a very high (p<0.001) and positive correlation with progesterone level. A high value of coefficient of determination (R2 value) was observed, which implies that there is a high accuracy of prediction of egg production from progesterone level.

Growth and subsequent egg production performance of shika-brown pullets fed graded levels of cooked Lablab purpureus beans.

The lablab seeds were cooked for 30 min, sundried for three days and thereafter milled and incorporated into chickens' diets. Six treatments, comprising of six dietary levels of lablab at 0.0, 7.5, 15.0, 22.5, 30.0 and 37.5%, respectively was fed during the grower's phase. Results obtained for the growers phase indicate that final weight (g/bird), weight gain (g/bird) and feed cost (N kg(-1)) decreased significantly (p < 0.05) as the level of lablab increased in the diet. Feed intake (g/bird and g/bird/day) as well as feed cost (N/bird) and total cost (N/bird) also decreased significantly (p < 0.05) as the level oflablab increased in the diet up to 22.5% inclusion level before increasing as the level of lablab in the diets continued to increase. The level of lablab in the diet had no effect on mortality throughout the experimental period. In addition haematological parameters such as Packed Cell Volume (PCV), Haemoglobin (Hb) and Total Protein (TP) were not significantly (p < 0.05) affected by feeding diets containing graded levels of cooked lablab beans to pullets. Results obtained during the laying phase indicates that feeding lablab seed meal up to 22.5% in the diets at the growers stage had no significant adverse effect (p < 0.05) on final weight, feed intake, feed efficiency, percent henday and henhoused egg production, percent production at peak, kilogramme feed per twelve eggs, feed cost per twelve eggs, Haugh Unit and yolk index. However, age of birds at first egg, age at 50% production and age at peak egg production were increased significantly (p > 0.05) with increase in the level of lablab seed meal in the growers diets.