Feeding Value of Coconut Meal for White Leghorn Layers

An experiment was conducted to study the effect of extracted coconut meal (ECM) on egg production performance of one hundred and eighty Single Comb White Leghorn (SCWL) layers from 21 to 52 weeks. These birds were randomly grouped into five treatments with three replicates of twelve birds each. The treatment groups consisted of 0 (T1), 5 (T2), 10 (T3), 15 (T4) and 20 per cent (T5) coconut meal in the layer diet. No significant difference was observed in overall mean feed consumption, feed conversion ratio and livability during the experimental period. Both overall hen housed and hen day egg production significantly (P<0.05) reduced in T5 compared to other treatment groups. The overall mean per cent broken eggs was significantly (P<0.05) high in T4 and T5 compared to control group. Based upon this study, it is recommended that the coconut meal can be included up to 10 per cent in layer ration for better egg production.