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J Jo ou ur rn na al l o of f E En nv vi ir ro on nm me en nt ta al l a an nd d O Oc cc cu up pa at ti io on na al l S Sc ci ie en nc ce e available at www.scopemed.org Original Research AbstractThis study was conducted to evaluate the chemical and mineral compositions of whole and seedsremoved fresh pods of Moringa stenopetala and Moringa oleifera. Feed samples were collected from five trees of each Moringa species and analyzed for chemical and mineral compositions using standard methods. The results indicated that whole fresh pods of both Moringa species contained significantly (p<0.05) higher crude protein (CP) and fat values than seeds-removed pods. The highest CP (182 g/kg DM) was obtained from whole fresh pods of M. stenopetala while the lowest from seeds-removed fresh pods of M. oleifera (104 g/kg DM). In both Moringa species, seedsremoved fresh pods contained significantly (p<0.05) higher crude fiber, neutral detergent fiber, cellulose and hemicellulose than that of whole fresh pods. In M. stenopetala, calcium content was 3.72 and 2.98 g/kg DM in whole fresh pods and seeds-removed fresh pods, respectively. In M. oleifera, whole and seeds-removed fresh pods contained 3.34 and 2.74 g/kg DM calcium, respectively which differed significantly. In both Moringa species, the concentrations of phosphorous, magnesium and zinc in whole fresh pods were significantly (p<0.05) higher than those found in seeds-removed fresh pods. High zinc and iron concentrations were found in whole and seeds-removed fresh pods of both Moringa species, respectively. Both whole and seedsremoved fresh pods of M. oleifera had high copper values (9.3-9.7 mg/kg DM) compared with those of M. stenopetala (4.8-5.8 mg/kg DM). In conclusion, the fresh pods of both Moringa species could be used as alternative protein supplement sources for feeding ruminant and monogastric animals during dry periods of the year.

This study was designed to assess the effects of partial substitution of roasted soybean seed with sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) leaf meal (SPLM) on growth performances and carcass components of broiler chickens. The experiment was a completely randomized design consisting of five dietary treatments replicated four times with ten chicks each. The control diet (treatment 1, T1) contained roasted soybean seed as the major protein source without SPLM and treatment diets containing SPLM at the levels of 30 g/kg (treatment 2, T2), 60 g/kg (treatment 3, T3), 90 g/kg (treatment 4, T4) and 120 g/kg (treatment 5, T5) by partially substituting the roasted soybean seed in the control diet. The results indicated that the body weight gain in chickens reared in T1 was (p<0.01) higher than those fed on T3, T4 and T5 diets. The individual feed intake in chickens reared in T1 was (p<0.001) higher than those fed on other treatment diets. The feed conversion ratio (kg feed/kg gain) of chickens fed on T1 was (p<0.05) lower than those reared in T4 and T5 diets. Chickens fed with T2 diet had numerically higher values of slaughter, dressed carcass and breast than those reared in T4 and T5 diets. It can be concluded that the partial substitution of roasted soybean seed with sweet potato leaf might be economically feasible feeding strategy of broiler chickens in smallholder poultry farm settings.

The study was conducted in three districts of Sheka zone in southern Ethiopia with the objective of comparing the carcass quality characteristics of indigenous chickens and their F1-crosses with Sasso chicken breed under traditional production system. One hundred eighty households were purposely selected who possess a minimum of three adult chickens. For the evaluation of carcass quality traits, 84 male chickens were used that have been drawn from both indigenous and F1-crossbred chickens. The results indicated that the F1-crosses chickens reared within three districts had higher (p<0.05) values of all carcass quality traits than the local chickens except for the dressing percentages, which was highest in the local chickens. Except breast, thighs, neck, keel bone, liver and gizzard, all carcass component values of chickens raised in Anderacha and Masha districts were higher (p<0.05) than those of Yeki. The highest values for breast and gizzard were observed from Mash chickens and differed (p<0.05) from those of the two districts. The effect of genotype was highly significant for all carcass components while that of district was significant for dressed carcass, dressing percentage, breast meat, drumsticks, wings, skin, backbone, heart and gizzard. The interaction between genotype and district was significant for only neck and backbone. There was a strong and positive association among all carcass components except for dressing percentage, which had a negative correlation with carcass traits. In conclusion, the F1-crosses demonstrated the highest carcass potentials and could be used as meat or dual-purpose chickens under the smallholder settings. However, care must be taken for unjustified distribution of exotic chicken breeds in the rural community to prevent genetic dilution of the well-adapted indigenous chicken ecotypes.

Poultry is one of the most important subsectors of livestock, supplying a cheap source of good quality animal protein in the form of meat and eggs. This study was conducted to assess egg fertility, hatchability and egg quality parameters of indigenous chickens in the Hulla, Aleta Wondo and Dale districts, representing highland, midland and lowland agroecologies, respectively. Six kebeles (two kebeles from each district) were purposively selected based on a lower distribution of exotic chickens. A total of 750 eggs of indigenous chicken were collected from three different agro-ecologies, 450 eggs were used for fertility and hatchability evaluation, and 300 eggs were used for internal and external quality analysis. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS version 20 and SAS version 9.0 packages. The results indicated that agroecology has no significant effect on the fertility and hatchability of indigenous chicken eggs. The values of egg weight, egg length, shell weight, yolk weight, and yolk diameter and albumen weight of eggs collected from midland were higher than those of eggs from highland and lowland areas. However, the highest values for albumen height, yolk height and Haugh unit were observed on eggs collected from highland agroecology. In conclusion, agroecology has no effect on the fertility and hatchability of indigenous chicken eggs. However, agroecology significantly affects the internal and external egg quality of indigenous chicken eggs. Therefore, the storage condition and duration of storage need consideration to maintain the external quality of eggs.