Journal of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine

Horned melon (Cucumis metuliferus), is a fruit rich in various phytochemical components important in the daily diet and has a high economic value which has not been fully exploited in poultry feeding. The objectives of the study are to evaluate proximate analysis, vitamin, and mineral content and determine the quality of eggs of layers fed horned melon meal. The horned melon fruits were harvested, oven-dried and milled into a horned melon meal (HMM). Proximate, vitamin, and mineral contents of horned melon were carried out using AOAC methods. Two hundred and forty Isa brown layers were grouped into four treatments with four replicates of fifteen birds each. Diets were formulated to contain HMM at 0, 25, 37.5 and 50% in replacement of commercial premix representing the four experimental diets. Two eggs were selected per replicate every week and cracked with the dull end of the knife into the yolk separator and egg qualities were analysed. The results showed that HMM had higher values (p<0.05) of vitamins A, D, E, K, B₁ B₂, B₁₂, Folic acid and Biotin (10940.00, 16670.00, 13280, 17190, 10510, 9410.00, 5110.00, 10830.00 and 4550.00 mg/kg, respectively), and Cobalt (51400.00 mg/kg), Iron (26202 mg/kg) and Cupper (5200 mg/kg), while the commercial premix values were 1680.00, 35.00, 3600.00, 960.00, 720.00, 2000.00, 3.50, 280.00, 20.00, 100.00, 16,000 and 3200 mg/kg, respectively. The results of egg quality analysis showed no significance (p>0.05) across the treatments. The ranges for egg length, egg width, egg weight, shell thickness, shell weight, yolk weight, yolk height, yolk colour score and albumen weight were 5.03 – 5.29, 3.94 – 4.48, 58.07 – 60.40, 0.43 – 0.45, 0.67 – 0.77, 28.67 – 31.00, 1.26 – 1.79, 4.06 – 6.75 and 18.08 – 22.40, respectively. It was concluded that horned melon meal is a promising feedstuff that can replace commercial premix in layer diets and its use of up to 50% replacement level did not adversely affect egg quality of the fed layers.