Effect of partial substitution of soybean meal with lupine seeds in feeding laying hens on production and economic performance

Abstract

Research has aimed to establish the effect of partial substitution of soybean meal protein with lupine flour free of alkaloids in feeding laying hens on egg quantity and quality of consumption, and the economic efficiency of application of this new feeding solutions. The experiment was conducted as a completely randomized experimental design consisted of four treatments randomly assigned to four groups of hens in the shed for 34 weeks. Lot Lc (control) was fed a diet of corn and soy srot. The experimental diets were used with different levels of substitution of soy protein meals lupine beans (-40% low, medium and high -60% -80% for groups E1, E2 and E3 respectively). We have used white lupine beans, variety Energy (coming from France), grown in specific climatic conditions of the western part of Romania. All diets were formulated to contain similar levels of metabolizable energy, crude protein and amino acids boundaries. The results show that substituting soy protein lupine meals in proportion of 40%, 60% and 80% (corresponding batches E1, E2 and E3) in feed for laying hens for egg consumption had negative effects on quantitative indicators egg production, egg size except that significantly (p <0.05) when soy protein meals were substitued to 80% of protein from lupine beans (for E3). Lupin negatively affected feed intake, the effects being more evident in the experimental group E3. Decreased food intake was accompanied by a corresponding reduction in the size of eggs, so that the degree of recovery of the food did not register differences between groups. Introducing lupin hens feeding and reduce the loss caused soybean cakes cost price of fodder by 20%, leading to an increase in net profit in the experimental groups, with up to 36.11% compared with controls (LC).