ABSTRACT

Eighty-one broilers were used to determine the nutrient digestibility coefficients of raw pigeon pea seed meal (PSM) diets supplemented with lysine and or methionine at the starter and finisher broiler stages of life. The experimental design was 2 x 4 factorial in a completely randomized design (CRD). The factors were inclusion level of raw PSM at two levels (30 and 40%) and lysine and or methionine supplementation (no supplementation, lysine, methionine, lysine + methionine). There were nine experimental diets that were isoenergetic and isonitrogenous. Diet 1 (control) had no raw PSM and no amino acid, diet 2 was 30% PSM without amino acid supplementation; diet 3 had 30% PSM supplemented with lysine; diet 4 had 30% PSM with methionine supplementation; diet 5 was 30% PSM supplemented with lysine + methionine. Diets 6, 7, 8 and 9 were 40% PSM supplemented with no amino acid, lysine, methionine and lysine + methionine, respectively. Parameters measured were digestibility coefficients of dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), ether extract (EE), crude fibre (CF), crude ash and nitrogen free extract (NFE). Results showed that at the starter phase, the diet of 30% raw pigeon pea seed meal (PSM) significantly (P<0.05) improved CP (66.87%) and crude ash (51.23%) digestibility coefficients of starter broilers more than 40% raw PSM diet. Lysine + methionine supplementation of raw PSM diet significantly (P<0.05) improved DM (64.25%), EE (70.45%) and NFE (73 .77%) digestibility coefficients of starter broilers over lysine or methionine supplemented diets. There was no significant (P>0.05) difference between un-supplemented 30 and 40% raw PSM diets in CP, DM and CF digestibility coefficients of starter broilers. At the finisher phase, broilers fed 40% raw PSM diet had significantly (P<0.05) higher CP (74.39%) and NFE (80.72%) than broilers fed 30% raw PSM diet. Supplementation of raw PSM diets with lysine + methionine significantly  (P<0.05) enhanced CP (75.80%), EE (77.52%) and NFE (79.98%) digestibility coefficients of finisher broilers more than PSM diets supplemented with either lysine or methionine. The diet of 40% PSM supplemented with lysine + methionine significantly (P<O.05) improved CP and NFE digestibility coefficients of broilers more than the 30% PSM diet equally supplemented with lysine + methionine. The conclusion was that 30% raw pigeon pea seed meal should be supplemented with lysine and methionine in starter broiler diets. At the finisher stage, 40% raw pigeon pea seed meal diet supplemented with lysine and methionine could be fed to broilers to improve protein and carbohydrate digestibility coefficients.