The use of peanut by-products in poultry diets

Abstract

The use of a protein-rich feedstuff, peanut meal (mechanically extracted), and a waste by-product from the peanut industry, peanut shell, was evaluated in three dietary experiments with commercial broiler chickens, as a means of minimising dietary costs and providing alternative protein sources in developing countries such as Indonesia. The experiments reported here demonstrated that peanut meal can be used to replace soybean meal at a rate of up to 15% in a diet containing meat and bone meal without any effects on bird performance. Even though peanut meal has inferior protein quality compared with soybean meal, similar nitrogen digestibility values were obtained. The apparent metabolisable energy (AME) of the diets improved (P<0.05), above 5% peanut meal inclusion. Peanut meal tended to be more digestible (P<0.10) in terms of energy than soybean meal and a significant (r² = 99.4%; P<0.001) relationship existed between energy metabolisability and peanut meal inclusion. The peanut meal did not contain a significant amount of soluble complex polysaccharides, as shown by digesta viscosity values, and did not increase excreta moisture content. ... The use of peanut meal and peanut shell did not affect bird mortality. Peanut meal and peanut shell are adequate feed ingredients for use in broiler diets if several constraints, such as mould and aflatoxin contamination and poor amino acid profiles, are considered. It is recommended that peanut meal be used up to 15% in broiler starter diets containing an animal protein concentrate. The use of more than 15% of peanut meal may require synthetic amino acid supplementation. Peanut shell can be incorporated at a level of at least 9% tn a diet.