Poultry feed ingredients are very expensive and raises poultry input cost with an inverse impact at final outcome. To decrease the feed cost and to increase farming output, utilization of non conventional feed resources such as hatchery waste meal (HWM) may be used in layer feed and seems a good economic properties. For this purpose the present study was designed to exploit post peak production of commercial layers supplemented with dietary extruded hatchery waste meal and this trail was carried out at poultry experimental farm University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences Lahore. Two experiments were conducted at the poultry experimental farm. In the first experiment raw hatchery was collected from a local hatchery and was dried at oven in 60°C till constant weight was achieved. The dried sample was then cooked by extrusion processes. In the second experiment the dietary inclusion of extruded hatchery waste meal (EHWM) was determined on performance of layer birds. For this purpose two hundred and fifty (250) White Leg horn layers in start of 2nd stage of production (35 weeks old) was procured and divided in to five groups (A, B, C, D and E) in such a way that there were fifty birds in each group. Each group was then further sub divided in to five replicates of ten birds. Group A served as a control. The experimental layers were being kept in cages with the standard norms of husbandry. The duration of experiment was 8 weeks. Four different supplementary levels of extruded hatchery waste meal of groups B, C, D, and E respectively, i.e. 2%, 4%, 6%, 8% were incorporated in layers diet. The parameters studied daily egg production and egg weight, while shell weight, shell thickness, albumen weight, albumen height, yolk weight, yolk diameter, yolk color, and Haugh units were studied on fortnight basis. At the end of the experiment the feasibility of each ration was also calculated. The data thus collected were statistically analyses using analysis of variance technique and comparison of means was made using DMR test.
In the present study the high mean egg production was recorded in treatment 4 (53.2±1.15) in which 6% extruded EHWM was used while the lowest mean egg production was recorded in treatment 2 (49.9±1.82) in which 2% of extruded HWM was used. The result of the present study show non-significant (p>0.05) effect of extruded hatchery waste meal on egg production. Highest value of average egg weight (60.4±0.48) was observed in control group while lowest value (59.2±0.53) was observed by using 8% EHWM. Statistical analysis showed non-significant (P>0.05) effect among treatments. Highest value of mean egg shell weight (7.3±0.17) was observed by using 4% extruded HWM. Lowest value of mean egg shell weight (7.2±0.06) was observed by using 8% HWM. The high value recorded for shell thickness was that of treatment 4 (0.33±0.008) by using 6% dietary EHWM, while lowest value was recorded in treatment 5 (0.31±0.002) using 8% dietary EHWM. The result of mean shell weight and shell thickness also showed non-significant differences (p>0.05) among different treatments.
The results of albumen weight, albumen height and Haugh units showed non-significant (p>0.05) effect of feeding different dietary levels of EHWM to commercial layers. However the highest values recorded for albumen weight and albumen height were (37.5±0.61) and (8.53 0.134) respectively in control group which was without of dietary EHWM. The highest value observed for Haugh units was (91.8±0.57) that of treatment 3 by using 4% EHWM. However albumen weight, albumen height and Haugh unit showed statistically non significant (P>0.05) effect of EHWM fed on experimental commercial layers.
The values for yolk weight, yolk diameter and yolk color were observed in order of merit for treatment, 2 (2% EHWM) (16.0±0.17), treatment 3 (4% EHWM) (38.8±0.11), and treatment 5 (8% EHWM) (5.5±0.15) respectively. Statistically the yolk weight, yolk diameter and yolk color showed non-significant (P>0.05) effect of EHWM on layers performance.
The economic feasibility of each ration was calculated at the end of the experiment. The feed cost per kg and the cost of 1 kg eggs were decreased gradually as dietary supplementary level of HW was increased from 2 to 8% in the diet of commercial layers. The most economical ration was that of treatment 5 in which 8%EHWM was used.