A study was conducted to investigate the effects of wood ash treatment on the nutritional value of high tannin sorghum. High tannin sorghum was either soaked in wood ash slurry and then germinated for four days or soaked in wood ash extract and germinated for 28 hours or germinated after soaking in water. Chemical composition of the grain thus treated was determined. The feeding value of the wood ash extract treated grain was evaluated in a three-week experiment where sorghum replaced maize in broiler starter diets. Treatment of high tannin sorghum with wood ash extract was effective in reducing the tannin level and did not lower the nutrient content of the grain, unlike the treatment that involved the use of wood ash slurry. There was no significant difference in feed intake between the maize based diet and the diet that contained wood ash extract treated sorghum. There was a significant improvement in growth rate of chicks that were fed on diets that contained treated sorghum. This was also reflected in the improvement of the ileal digestibility of the diets that contained treated grain. Treatment of high tannin sorghum with wood ash extract improves its nutritive value.

ABSTRACT

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1. Commercial pullets were grown at cool (10 degrees -20 degrees C) or hot (25 degrees -35 degrees C) temperatures to similar bodyweights at 18 weeks of age. Between 18 and 50 weeks the birds were either kept at the same temperatures as during growth or transferred to the alternate temperature. 2. Birds kept at the cool temperatures throughout life ate most food and gave the best production during lay. Minimum food intake and poorest performance were obtained with birds kept at the hot temperatures throughout life. 3. Performance in the hot environment during lay was improved by rearing birds in the cool environment, the response being related to an increased food intake. Food intake in the cool environment during lay was reduced, with only minor effects on performance, in birds which had been reared in the hot environment. 4. The results of the present study show that production responses during lay are affected by the temperatures experienced by hens during both growth and lay.