UTILIZATION OF NON-CONVENTIONAL FEED RESOURCES IN POULTRY PRODUCTION: RESULTS OF ON-FARM TRIALS

Though a variety of non-conventional feedstuffs have been successfully evaluated in research stations in Asian countries, there had been little adoption of these technologies at the small farm level. The methodology and results of three separate on-farm trials evaluation the possible use of some non-conventional feedstuffs in broiler diets under small farm conditions in Sri Lanka are reported in this paper. In all trials, the commercial mash, that in normally used in the farms, served as the control. In trials 1 and 2, 5 and 10% cassava leaf meal, respectively, was substituted (w/w) for the commercial mash and fed to broilers for six weeks. In trial 3, several non-conventional feedstuffs (cassava leaf meal, rubber seed meal, ipil ipil leaf meal and died poultry manure) were substituted (w/w) for the commercial mash at levels of 15-20%. The results demonstrated that these non-conventional feed resources can be used in broiler diets under small farm conditions, with no adverse effects on performance. The salient features of on-farm animal research are highlighted.