Two experiments were completed to compare the supplemental effects of yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and sub-therapeutic antibiotics in high-fibre and low-protein diets for broiler chicks. In experiment 1, yeast was added at 1.5, 3.0 and 6.0 g kg-1 while penicillin, tylosin or neoterramycin were added at 150 mg kg-1 into different batches of a high-fibre diet containing 250 g kg-1 palm kernel meal. Saccharomyces cerevisiae and antibiotics increased BW, BWG, FCR, feed intake, carcass and breast weights above the control. Small intestine weight was reduced by antibiotics, while yeast caused a lower deposition of abdominal fat. Liver weights of different treated broilers were similar. The performance indices were superior on penicillin and 3.0 g kg-1 yeast compared to other supplements evaluated. In the second experiment, 1.5 and 3.0 g kg-1 of yeast, and 0.75 mg kg-1 of procaine penicillin, zinc bacitracin and tylosin were separately added to a 180 g kg-1 crude protein diet. Performance of the chicks with additives was compared with unsupplemented negative and positive controls containing 180 and 210 g kg-1 crude protein respectively. Broilers fed with supplements had superior BW, BWG, FCR and feed intake compared to the negative control, but carcass data were similar. Dietary penicillin increased BW, BWG, feed intake more than other supplements, but yeast stimulated higher FCR. Data from both studies indicated that Saccharomyces cerevisiae comparatively increased growth and carcass weight and reduce abdominal fat, therefore, it can serve as a natural substitute for antibiotics in broiler diet.

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I. The proximate composition, amino acid composition and the quality of the protein of the African locust-bean (Purkiu jilicoideu Welw.) seed, seed with pulp, and various processed forms, with or without amino acid supplementation, were assessed.2. The crude protein content of the locust-bean seed was 303 g/kg and the crude fibre content was IZI g/kg.3. The seeds contained (mg/g protein): 67 lysine, 6.1 methionine and 8.9 tryptophan. 4. Diets containing IOO g protein/kg supplied by the seed did not support growth in rats, 5.Utilization of the protein of locust-bean seeds was improved by cooking, and by removal 6. Supplementation with methionine alone resulted in positive growth and a very sub-7. Supplements of methionine and tryptophan caused further improvement in protein demonstrating that the protein was of poor quality.of the tough leathery outer testa of the seeds.stantial increase in protein values.quality and increased the growth of rats to almost that obtained with whole egg.In Nigeria, as in all other developing countries, there is a general shortage of protein, particularly of animal proteins, in the diet.The livestock situation has not improved much in recent times because of a lack of basic information on the available feeding-stuffs, which has mitigated against the use of these feeding-stuffs in balanced and economical rations for farm stock or in dietary mixtures for feeding the vulnerable groups of people. Cheap sources of good-quality proteins for livestock feeding are scarce, and this has necessitated a survey of the potentials of sources hitherto not much used.The studies reported here are part of a series of systematic investigations which have been undertaken to evaluate nutritionally a wide range of protein foodstuffs not commonly used but which may ultimately be used on a large scale if found to be of high nutritional value.The African locust bean (Parkiajilicoidea Welw.) is a spreading tree of medium size, with compound leaves and numerous leaflets. The fruits comprise bunches of pods which vary between 125 and 275 mm in length and contain a yellow, dry, powdery pulp, in which are embedded several dark brown or black seeds. It is widely distributed in the natural grassland of the northern states and in derived savannah zones of the western states of Nigeria.The yellow mealy pulp is sweet to the taste and is made into a valuable carbohydrate food. E X P E R I M E N T A LOrigin, preparation and storage of samples The African locust-bean-seed samples were obtained direct from local farmers around Iseyin and Oyo in western Nigeria. Some of the samples had been removed already from the pods and washed clean of the yellow pulp. These are the samples designated 'bean seed'. The only laboratory treatment given to them was cooking in boiling water for 3 h, sun-drying and then grinding into a fine powder which passed through a 30 mesh sieve. The sample designated 'bean seed with pulp' comprised the cooked seed and yellow, sweetish pulp (75 : 25, wlw). Expt IIn this experiment, the proximate composi...

1. Palm kernel meal (PKM), brewers dried grains (BDG) and maize offal (MO) were included in broiler diets, each at 100, 150 or 200 g/kg; the diets were fed up to 35 d of age. 2. Overall food intake and weight gain decreased in the order BDG, PKM and MO. There were, however, significant interactions between the test ingredients and dietary concentrations in all the growth responses. Food intakes increased with the dietary concentrations of each test ingredient, but the increase was greater for BDG than PKM or MO. For weight gain, at 100 g/kg, the final body weights of the chicks fed on the diets with BDG and MO were similar, and those of chicks fed on the diet with PKM slightly lower. However, at 200 g/kg, growth rate of chicks fed on the BDG and PKM diets were similar while those of chicks fed on the MO diet was 7% lower. Efficiency of food utilisation was similar at 100 g/kg for all the ingredients and decreased as their concentrations increased; however, the decrease was considerably less for the PKM than for the MO and BDG diets. 3. Broilers fed on the BDG-based diets voided most excreta followed by those fed on the PKM and MO diets; excreta water content was highest from birds fed on the MO diets followed by the PKM and BDG diets. Apparent retention of dry matter was similar with all the test ingredients, but it decreased only significantly at 200 g/kg dietary concentration. The rate of passage was faster with the PKM diets followed by the MO and BDG diets; it was increased at 200 g/kg dietary concentration of the test ingredients.

Three trials were carried out to determine the suitability of locally produced palm kernel meal ( P K M ) as the major protein concentrate in the diets of weaners, growers and fattening pigs in the tropics. Large White and Large White x Landrace cross barrows and gilts were used. These were individually fed at semirestricted levels the various diets formulated to contain approximately 15, 12 and 16.5 % crude protein for trials 1, 2 and 3 respectively, the PKM or other protein sources contributing at least 50% of the total dietary protein in all the diets. In trial 1, pigs on the PKM diet grew at a lower rate, had poorer feed:gain ratio and protein efficiency ratio and lower feed consumption than the pigs on other diets. Pigs on a fish meal diet (FM) had the best performance throughout. In trial 2, the same trends as for trial 1 were observed, except that pigs on the dried skimmed milk (DSM) diet performed better than those on all other diets. In trial 3, the pigs on the PKM diet supplemented with 10% groundnut cake or 15% DSM had slower growth rate and lower feed:gain ratio than the pigs on other diets containing lower quantities of PKM supplemented with fish meal (FM) or blood meal (BM).