ABSTRACT

The quality characteristics of eggs laid by local and eXotic layers fed boiled pigeon pea seed meal (PSM) diets was determined using a total of 243 layers made up of Isa Brown (156) and local (78). The raw pigeon pea seeds were boiled for 30 minutes, dried and milled for the experimental diets. The experimental design was 2 x 5 factorial in a completely randomized design (CRD). Three eggs per replicate were collected every month for four months that gave a total of 1 04 eggs that were assessed. Parameters measured were external quality (egg weight, width and length, shell thickness and weight, and shape index) and internal quality (yolk height, width and weight, albumen height and weight, Haugh unit). Results showed that genotype of layer did not signi ficaiitly (P>0.05) affect exiernal egg parameters, while the yolk height, albumen + yolk weight, Haugh unit and albumen weight of the eggs were 'significantly (P<0.05) higher with eggs of hybrid tlìan local layers. Inclusion level of the boiled PSM in the diets significantly (P<0.05) affected only egg length and shell thickness. The effect of interaction between genotype and inclusion level of PSM on external and internal egg quality indices were significant (P<0.05). Exotic layers produced eggs with higher weight, better egg shell quality, higher yolk weight, albumen weight and other internal egg quality indices than local layers at all the levels of PSM inclusion in the diets, It was recommended that boiled pigeon pea seed meal could be included as 30% of the whole ration of either exotic or local layers.