Effect of saline processed Icacinia manni (earthball) on performance, egg quality, blood profiles and carcass indices of laying hens

Twelve week feeding trial was conducted to investigate the effect of 10 and 20% replacement of maize with Icacinia manni meal processed in saline on the laying performance, egg quality characteristics, internal organ evaluation, hematological and serum biochemistry of laying hens. Three experimental diets were formulated in which Icacinia manni processed in saline replaced maize at 0% for T1 (control) 10 and 20% for T2 and T3, respectively. One hundred and eighty laying hens (Isa Brown) with 6 weeks of laying life were randomly allotted to three dietary treatments with nine replicates of twenty birds per replicate in a completely randomized design. The laying performance, carcass/organs, hematology and serum biochemistry, egg quality analysis showed no significant differences (p>0.05) at the end of the experiment. The values for hen-day production of birds fed 10% Icacinia manni processed in saline showed numerical increase for hen day egg production and egg weight over the control and 20% groups (T1 and T3 respectively). The study revealed that Icacinia manni processed in saline can replace 20% maize in layers diets without detrimental effect on the performance, egg quality characteristics, internal organs, haematology and serum biochemical indices.