Nguyen Thi Hong Nhan et al., 1997. Livest. Res. Rural Dev., 9 (1)

Studies were done to detemine the optimum inclusion rates in poultry diets of meals made from sun dried leaves of Trichantera gigantea meals, and of the fresh leaves in diets for ducks, as locally available sources of carotene and plant protein. Three trials were made in collaboration with smallholder farmers in Cantho City.

In trial 1 a randomized block design was used with three levels (0, 2 and 6% air dry basis) of Trichantera leaf meal with 180 laying hens. The second trial lasted 10 weeks and evaluated 0 or 6% Trichantera leaf meal in the diet of 300 laying quails. The results for mean egg production and egg quality of laying hens and quails were similar for the control and experimental diets. The cost of production tended to be lower for diets with Trichantera leaf meal. In the third trial, 200 ducks were fed from 21 to 60 days of age to evaluate fresh leaves of Trichantera and water spinach in fattening diets. There were no significant differences between treatments for daily weight gain and feed conversion ratio. Carcass parameters were not affected by treatments, except that breast muscle percent increased with increasing intake of Trichantera.