Abstract 239

D'Mello,-JPF; Acamovic,-T; Walker,-AG

Dep. Agricultural Biochemistry, Edinburgh School of Agriculture, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JG, UK.

Tropical-Agriculture. 1987, 64: 1, 33-35; 11 ref.

Groups of 16 chickens were given from 22 to 31 days old a basal diet containing wheat 61.9, soyabean meal 29.3 and groundnut oil 4.0% or with 5 or 10% leucaena leaf meal (LLM) or 50% yellow maize replacing wheat. Daily weight gains were 54.8, 53.4, 47.4 and 52.9 g, unit gain/DM intake 0.620, 0.594, 0.547 and 0.602, and pigmentation of feet and shanks (Roche Fan Score) 0.5, 3.3, 3.8 and 1.7, respectively. LLM would have to be used with other xanthophyll sources to give satisfactory carcass colour and in amounts not more than 5% of diet.