According to, cashew nut proteins are complete having all the essential amino acids and a kilogramme of the nut yields about 6000 calories. Although not suitable for sale, these reject cashew kernels has found application in animal feeding. It was estimated that up to about 30% of kernels may be lost in this manner depending on the quality of nuts. ĭuring processing, large quantities of the kennels are discarded because they are not suitable for sale as a result of bruises, damages, oiliness or because they are scorched during the drying process. The upsurge in the consumption of the cashew nut has resulted in its large-scale production for local consumption and export due to the involvement of private entrepreneurs, Federal and State Governments, Cooperative societies and affluent farmers in cashew cultivation. Recently, the extension of cashew nut from human consumption to the feeding of livestock has received attention of scientists as a potential feedstuff. Ĭashew Nut Shell Liquid (CNSL), an important by-product of cashew industry with diverse use in friction linings, paints and varnishes, laminating and epoxy resins, foundry chemicals and as an intermediary of chemicals are gaining rapid commercial reputation. Global production was estimated by FAO at 4,439,960 metric tonnes and Nigeria, highest producer in Africa, produced about 950,000 metric tonnes representing 21.4% of the world total. Cashews rank third in world production of edible nuts that are traded globally and its nutritional values have long been recognized. Cashew ( Anacardiaceae) nut is receiving attention of scientist as a viable additional protein feed resource.Ĭashew nut is an important industrial and export crop with wide distribution throughout the tropics in many parts of Africa and Asia. This search for solutions is hinged on the concept of self-reliance which strives to achieve sustainability based on the use of indigenous resources. The attempt to mitigate high cost of feed has prompted the continuous search for alternatives or additional feedstuffs. The subject of feed resources and their utilization represents possibly the most compelling task facing producers and scientists in poultry industry. However, FCRM should be cautiously used in diets of laying chickens. It was recommended that GNC could be completely replaced by DCRM in layer’s diets in regions where this by product is abundant. The prediction equation showed the relative worth of DCRM compared to GNC was 92.3% whereas the actual market price of GNC triples that of DCRM. The cost of feed per kilogram decreased gradually with increased inclusion level of CRM. Fat deposition and cholesterol content increased (P > 0.05) with increasing level of FCRM. Feed intake declined (P 0.05) was observed for egg weight and shell thickness. Birds on control gained 10 g, while those on DCRM and FCRM gained about 35 g and 120 g respectively. Result of aflatoxin B 1 revealed moderate level between 10 and 17 μg/Kg in DCRM and GNC samples respectively. Gross energy of DCRM was 5035 kcal/kg compared to GNC, 4752 kcal/kg. Results showed that the crude protein were 22.10 and 35.4% for FCRM and DCRM respectively. Each group was allotted a diet in a completely randomized design in a study that lasted eight weeks during which records of the chemical constituent of the test ingredients, performance characteristics, egg quality traits and economic indicators were measured. Diets 2, 3 and 4 consist of gradual replacement of GNC with defatted cashew reject meal (DCRM) at 50%, 75% and 100% on weight for weight basis respectively while diets 5, 6 and 7 consist of gradual inclusion of full fat cashew reject meal (FCRM) to replace 25%, 35% and 50% of GNC protein respectively. The seven diets prepared included diet 1, a control with GNC at 220gkg −1 as main protein source in the diet. A total of eighty four brown shavers at 25 weeks of age were randomly allotted into seven dietary treatments each containing 6 replicates of 2 birds each. The present study investigated the nutritional and economic suitability of cashew reject meal (full fat and defatted) as replacement for groundnut cake (GNC) in the diets of laying chickens.
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