Faculty of Agriculture

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    Antimicrobial and preservative activities of A. danielli in food matrices.
    (Lambert Academic Publishing, Saarbrucken, Germany., 2013) Adegoke, G. O.; Afolabi, M. O.
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    Antimicrobial wound healing properties of indigenous medicinal plants of Lesotho and the pharmacist's role in minor wound care
    (Department of Pharmacy, National University of Lesotho, Lesotho, 2021) Hlokoane, OK; Sello, M
    Lesotho has a rich supply of indigenous medicinal plant resources. More than a dozen Lesotho medicinal plants have been used to treat minor wound infections among Basotho for over 100 years. The aim is to provide scientific validation of their antimicrobial activities against microorganisms relevant to the skin. The anti-infective activities of plants are thought to be due to the presence of active phytochemicals in parts of the plants, especially phenolic compounds, anthraquinones, glycosides, and alkaloids. Although there is limited research that establishes the structure-activity relationship of those phytochemicals, there are reports that attributed the phytochemical constituents with the antimicrobial effects through a variety of mechanisms ranging from inhibition of cytoplasmic membrane function, inhibition of energy metabolism to inhibition of bacterial nucleic acid synthesis. The role of the pharmacist is to provide medical information on these compounds to promote the safe use of herbal products and in combination with conventional medicines.
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    Antioxidant and anti-browning activities of A. daniell
    (Lambert Academic Publishing, Saarbrucken, Germany., 2013) Adegoke, G. O.; Afolabi, M. O.
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    Assessment of Adoption of Conservation Agriculture in Roma Valley, Lesotho
    (International Journal of Science and Research, 2019-01-01) P.D. Sesoai, M.A.O Akintunde and K.J.B. Keregero
    The study assessed adoption of CA in Roma Valley. The specific objectives were to: assess whether farmers possess knowledge of CA, assess the attitudes of farmers towards CA and find out the extent to which farmers have implemented CA. The study involved 47 farmers based in Roma Valley. An interview schedule was used for collecting data which were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) computer programme version 20. The findings revealed that majority of the respondents possessed knowledge of CA and positive attitudes towards it. They also revealed that none of the farmers practiced CA in Roma Valley. The study concluded that while respondents in Roma Valley are generally aware of CA as a farming practice and have positive attitude towards it, implying potential inclination towards adopting it, they have generally not practiced it
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    Assessment of productive and reproductive performance of dairy cows in the agro-ecoogical zones of Lesotho
    (National University of Lesotho, 2024-11-03) Monaheng, Thabiso Lawrence
    Dairy cows, in most part of the world, are primarily reared for milk production even though in Lesotho they can also be sufficiently used in socio-cultural activities. Moreover, reproductive performance remains an essential trait in dairy production because if a dairy cow is infertile, there would be no milk production. A cross sectional study was conducted for the purpose of assessing the productive and reproductive performance of dairy cows in four agro-ecological zones of Lesotho. The specific objectives were to evaluate farmer’s experience in dairy production, determine age at puberty and conception rate of dairy cows per year, determine the age at first calving and calving interval, determine types of concentrates utilized in feeding strategies, evaluate reproductive health and related problems in dairy cows and determine milk yield in 300 days per cow. Farmers (249) were interviewed by means of a phone call and Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS 20) was used for data analysis. Farmers (47.6%) had experience of 10 years in dairy production which increased significantly (p<0.05) in the Lowlands and Highlands. Again, natural mating (49.9%) had high conception rate than AI (34.6%). The current study revealed that calving interval ranges between 10 and 15 month hence most dairy cow bore a calf every year which also indicated that milk production cycle fell within 12 months. In terms of milk yield, the majority of dairy cows in the Low lands (18.6%), Foothills (31.8%) and High lands (37.5%) were producing an average of 10 litres of milk per day except in the Senqu RV (63.6%) where production decreased significantly (p>0.05) to 5 litres of milk per day. It’s also revealed that Friesian produced more milk than all breeds followed by Jersey and that was vivid in the Low lands and Foothills. However, milk production was still below optimum and that has been associated with factors such as poor feedingregimes, inadequate knowledge of milking, utilization of local bulls at the expense of using high quality semen for AI. In conclusion, based on the current study, dairy cow’s reproductive performance was very efficient and it confirms that dairy cows in Lesotho are very fertile. This is made on the basis of high conception rate. The major limiting factor on reproductive efficiency was the quantity and/or quality of feeds availability and dairy farmers who attempted to formulate ration at their own backyards lacked knowledge and skills. Hence they produced mixtures that could not meet animal requirements as such mixtures did not contain specific nutrient quantities and/or qualities.
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    An assessment of the level of soil contamination with heavily metals around Letseng and Kao diamond mining in Lesotho
    (National University of Lesotho, 2024-01-17) Tjakata, Motsamai Julius
    The study was aimed at determining the extent of soil contamination with heavy metals due to wastes from Kao and Letseng Diamond Mining and to determine the potential risks to the soil and crops in nearby farmlands. A number of physical and chemical soil parameters were tested namely; texture, pH, Organic matter, and CEC to find out their impact on bioavailability of heavy metals in the soils and crops around Kao, Letseng and Mokhotlong Agricultural Research. Furthermore, study was made to assess the effects of heavy metals on soil microbial activity, and to determine whether heavy metals in plants and soils are mild, sufficient or toxic. Heavy metals were tested whether available or not available (not detected) in three sites. The samples were collected from three sites, two of which are from contaminated (Kao and Lets’eng mining) sites and one from uncontaminated (Mokhotlong Agricultural Research Station) site in Lesotho. Basic cations and metals were extracted by DTPA method (Lindsay and Norvell, 1978) and later determined using an AAS 500 model. The results indicated that there are higher concentrations of heavy metals around Letseng Diamond Mining in the order of Cr > Pb > Cd > Ni > Fe > Mn > Cu > Co > Zn. Around Kao Diamond site, three metals were in the toxic range in the order of Cd > Pb > Cr. Kao Diamond mining site is located within Kao Village, where the effluent from the mining drains into farmlands, which obviously poses health threat. Chlorosis and stunting of plants have been observed especially in the rangelands around Letseng Diamond Mining. This is to high concentrations of heavy metals, which could hinder plant growth and affect the food chain thus posing serious risk to health of animals, humans and microorganisms. Again the results showed the plants with high concentrations of heavy metals have stunt growth andsoils with high concentrations of heavy metals showed lower microbial population which has negative impact on soil fertility. Results of this study indicate that the heavy metal risk around the mining sites is alarming and hence appropriate measures need to be taken to rectify the situation by applying biochar. Whilst Mokhotlong Agricultural Research shows only essential heavy metals and their concentrations are not alarming with high population of microorganisms.
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    Biostimulatory and antimicrobial properties of Tulbaghia violacea
    (University of the Free State, 2004-10) Nteso, Leeto; Prof.Pretorius, J.C.; Dr.Potgieter, G.P.
    My first gratitude and praise to Almighty God, the Life-giver, who let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds (Genesis 1:11) and has caused to grow out of the ground, herbs for the use of man. What is impossible with man is possible with God. I would like to acknowledge the financial assistance to me provided by the government of Lesotho through National Manpower Development secretariat, for the payment of tuition, boarding and lodging and other academic fees. Your sponsorship was not in vain. My deepest gratitude and sincere appreciation are extended to Professor J.C. Pretorius, promoter of this research, for his patient and untiring guidance. His kindness, academic vision and inexhaustible energy were an inspiration and motivation to me in this study. Without him the objectives of this research would not have been achieved. His demand and desire for perfection and academic excellence have left an indelible impression on my mind and I hope to pass them on to my students. I have really been honoured to have been his student. My gratitude also goes to my co-promoter Dr. Potgieter for his expertise in seed physiology (seed germination and seedling establishment) and different aspects important to plant growth and development and the effect of natural “bio-catalysts” on plant growth and yield. Next I would like to thank Dr. Irene Kamara for her assistance with nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectroscopy analysis and chemical structural elucidation of the active compounds. Her contribution to this section is also highly appreciated. Your patient smile will always be remembered. I would also like to recognize and thank the following people for their dedication and support for the success of this research: Elmarie van der Watt for her kind and patient laboratory technical guidance and support throughout the three years of this study. Please don’t get tired of doing the good. Your assistance was highly valued. I also extend my appreciation and gratitude to Charlotte Maree for her laboratory assistance with respect to the antimicrobial tests of this research. I am most grateful to Alida Du Plessis for her ever-ready secretarial assistance during this research. The Head of organic chemistry department and staff for allowing me to use their laboratory during the purification and isolation phase of my plant extract. Special thanks to ‘Madira Litelu and Tebogo Manong for their daily technical guidance and help in the laboratory. Without Tebogo, the finer details of the isolation techniques would have escaped my notice. I wish to express my appreciation to my colleague in this study Girma Tegegne, for his contribution to chapter 5 and his assistance with the statistical analysis of my data, and with whom we shared a lot of hardships, disappointments and successes, and also for the brainstorming sessions we held together on this research. Finally, to my late Brother Ben Nteso for his initial financial support, if it had not been for him I would not have registered for this degree. We hope to meet him at the first resurrection.
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    Bowen Ratio Energy Balance Measurement of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Fluxes of No-till and Conventional Tillage Agriculture in Lesotho.
    (Open Journal of Soil Science, 2014) O'Dell, D.; Sauer, T. J.; Hicks, B. B.; Lambert, D. M.; Smith, D. R.; Bruns, W.; Marake, M. V.; Walker, F. W.; Wilcox Jr., M. D.; Eash, N. S.; Basson, A.
    Global food demand requires that soils be used intensively for agriculture, but how these soils are managed greatly impacts soil fluxes of carbon dioxide (CO2). Soil management practices can cause carbon to be either sequestered or emitted, with corresponding uncertain influence on atmospheric CO2 concentrations. The situation is further complicated by the lack of CO2 flux measurements for African subsistence farms. For widespread application in remote areas, a simple experimental methodology is desired. As a first step, the present study investigated the use of Bowen Ratio Energy Balance (BREB) instrumentation to measure the energy balance and CO2 fluxes of two contrasting crop management systems, till and no-till, in the lowlands within the mountains of Lesotho. Two BREB micrometeorological systems were established on 100-m by 100-m sites, both planted with maize (Zea mays) but under either conventional (plow, disk-disk) or no-till soil management systems. The results demonstrate that with careful maintenance of the instruments by appropriately trained local personnel, the BREB approach offers substantial benefits in measuring real time changes in agroecosystem CO2 flux. The periods where the two treatments could be compared indicated greater CO2 sequestration over the no-till treatments during both the growing
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    Characterization of fatty acid profile by FFFS
    (Springer Science+Business Media, 2014-01-25) Ntakatsane, M. P.; Zhou, P.; Mothibe, K. J.; Adegoke, G. O.; Odenya, W. O.; Liu, X. M.
    The purpose of the study was to assess potential application of front face fluorescence spectroscopy as a rapid and non-destructive technique to discriminate between fats of animal and plant origin based on their fatty acid profiles, and to predict concentration of fatty acids from fluorescence spectra. Vitamin E emission spectra (300–500 nm) of butterfat and vegetable oil samples were recorded with excitation wavelength set at 295 nm. Fatty acid composition of the samples was determined by gas chromatography. Principal component analysis and partial least squares regression analysis were applied to the gas chromatography and fluorescence spectroscopy data. The butter-fats and vegetable oils were discriminated based on the total saturated and unsaturated fatty acids respectively. Tocopherols and tocotrienols accounted for the variability among various oils. A good prediction model was established with R2 = 0.745–0.992 for saturated fatty acids. The unsaturated fatty acids were characterized by low coefficients of determination (R2\0.339). The fatty acid profiles predicted from fluorescence spectra did not show significant difference to those determined by gas chromatography used as references. A good association was established between the two data tables. The study demonstrated great potential of front face fluorescence spectroscopy to rapidly discriminate between fats of animal and plant origin, and predict their saturated fatty acids composition, which could in turn be used for detection of milk fat adulteration with vegetable oil.
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    Characterization of fatty acid profiles of fats and oils by fluorescence spectroscopy.
    (Journal of Food Measurement and Characterization, 2014) Liu, X. M.; Nkheloane, T.; Ntakatsane, M. P.; Zhou, P.; Mothibe, K. J.; Adegoke, G. O.; Odenya, W. O.
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    The determinants of adoption of improved maize production technologies among farm households in Quthing, Lesotho
    (National University of Lesotho, 2022-08) Rakotsoane, Sechaba; Professor Olaniyi, Olumuyiwa Akin
    Maize is a major staple food in Lesotho, and it constitutes between 50% - 60% of an average household diet. Maize production objectives vary because of characteristics demanded by the market, home consumption and animal feeds. Men tend to prefer high-yielding varieties to potentially sell the surplus. Women, on the other hand, are often interested in maize's culinary, processing, and nutritional qualities; long-term storability and tolerance of the cultivar to shocks, such as climate variability. The main objective of the study was to investigate the gender gap in agricultural productivity with focus on technology adoption of maize farm households in Quthing. The study obtained data from a randomly selected sample of 139 male and female headed households maize crop producers in the study area. The study used descriptive statistics and probit regression for data analysis. The results of the study showed that more male (82.5 %) farmers adopted improved maize production technologies compared to their female counterparts (54.2 %). The factors that influenced adoption of improved maize technologies in the study area were farming experience, confidence in extension skills, membership of farmer group, farmers‟ training and walking distance to agricultural office. The aforementioned factors are common factors that drive the adoption of improved maize technologies by both male and female farmers; except membership of farmers‟ group, confidence in extension skills and access to ICT that are specific to male and female farmers respectively. The study recommends that farmers should be encouraged to join and form farmers-based organizations. The study also recommends enhancement of access to information for farmers through extension services creating and producing relevant programmes available through the radio, television and the mobile phone platforms. The public and private extension systems must employ more field extension staff who will train farmers to improve their skills and production techniques. Extensions workers must benefit from capacity building to improve their competencies in supporting farmers in interventions aimed at improving adoption of improved maize production technologies by both male and female farmers in the study area.
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    Determinants of farmers' participation in Irish potato production in Mokhotlong district, Lesotho
    (National University of Lesotho, 2024) Heshepe, Matsebo
    Potato farming is a very important activity in Mokhotlong, Lesotho contributing significantly towards household’s food security and income. However, farmers are constraint from sustainable potato production by several factors. The main aim of this study was to analyze factors that influence participation of farmers in potato production in Mokhotlong, Lesotho. The survey used cross-sectional data that was obtained in 2024 from 99 potato farmers. A two-stage sampling procedure which includes purposive and simple random sampling was employed to construct a sample. Descriptive statistics and Binary Logistic Regression Model were used to analyze these factors. The results revealed that farmers are constraint from participating in potato by factors which include high production costs, lack of transport, pests and diseases encountered, lack of storage facilities and poor access to quality seeds. The Binary Logistic Regression Model results revealed that gender, age, social media access, source of income, level of education, access to seeds and distance to the market influence farmers to participate in potato farming. In light of these, it is recommended that the government should address the constraints and challenges. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security, and Nutrition should assist farmers in developing value chains and formulating marketing tactics to enhance their competitiveness. The Ministry should also encourage women ‘s participation in potato farming and establish training initiatives aimed at improving soil fertility and implementing crop rotation to boost women’s participation in potato production.
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    Determinants of marketing participation and choice of market outlet for broiler farmers in Leribe district of Lesotho
    (National University of Lesotho, 2022-07) Lekhisa, Khutlang; Dr Muroyiwa, Brian
    Poultry marketing is an important tool for economic development and poverty eradication because of its potential for income generation and employment creation. However, broiler farmers in the country are locked out of available lucrative formal broiler markets and this forces them to sell their produce at the farm gate where prices are less lucrative. Therefore, this study examined the socio-economic, market and institutional factors that influence broiler farmers’ market participation and the choice of market outlets in the Leribe district in Lesotho. A two-stage sampling technique was employed to select 114 respondents from five villages. The survey data was collected through a structured questionnaire. Heckman's two-stage model was used to analyse factors influencing farmers' market participation and the intensity of market participation while the MVP model was used to determine factors affecting the choice of market outlets by broiler farmers. The probit selection equation revealed that gender, farmer income, storage access, production experience, extension service, credit access and information access influenced farmers’ market participation decisions and the second outcome equation revealed that gender, household size, off-farm employment and price influenced the intensity of market participation. The MVP model results revealed that gender, vehicle ownership, stock size contract agreement and extension access significantly influenced the choice of market outlets. Therefore, this study recommends interventions that will increase broiler production such as enhancing credit access, contract farming, group membership and institutional support. The study also recommends policies that will facilitate the adoption of quality assurance practices and procedures to improve farmers’ access to the formal markets.
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    Deternimants of climate-smart agricultural technologies adoption by smallholder crop farmers in Quthing District, Lesotho
    (National University of Lesotho, 2024) Semoko, Mathebe Josphinah
    The agricultural sector in Quthing district is vital for local employment and food security, particularly through smallholder vegetable farming. However, climate change poses challenges such as prolonged droughts, altered rainfall patterns, and increased temperatures, which threaten farmers' livelihoods. These conditions not only reduce crop yields but also exacerbate weed growth, pests, and diseases. In response, Climate Smart Agriculture Technologies (CSAT) have been introduced to improve agricultural productivity. Despite their potential benefits, the adoption of CSAT remains low influenced by various factors shaping farmers' decisions. Therefore, the study aimed to evaluate the factors influencing CSAT adoption among vegetable farmers in rural areas of Quthing district. The specific objectives included evaluating farmers’ understanding and awareness of CSAT, identifying adoption patterns, evaluating interventions and support systems towards CSAT adoption, and determining factors influencing CSAT adoption. A multi-stage sampling technique was employed to select 100 farmers, from whom data was collected through a semi-structured questionnaire. Data analysis utilised descriptive statistics and probit regression model using statistical software (Stata 13). The descriptive statistics revealed that majority of farmers were aware of CSAT benefits: sustaining soil fertility (81%), increasing productivity (92%), reducing pollution (61%) and resource management (90%). Furthermore, the findings revealed varying levels of adoption among farmers: hybrid seed (90%), adjusting planting dates (75%), rainwater harvesting (53%) while agrochemicals is 46%, organic fertilizer (30%), protected farming (28%), irrigation technology (10%) and underground water harvesting (5%). The probit regression model highlights significant factors influencing CSAT adoption among farmers. These factors include farming income (ß= -0.915, P = 0.024), household size (ß=-0.0876, P=0.04), education level (ß= 0.472, P=0.032) farming experience (ß=0.501, P=0.014), access to extension (ß=0.752, P=0.038), membership to associations (ß=0.936, P=0.001) and climate information service (ß=0.936, P=0.064). Based on these findings, the study concluded that while farmers exhibit awareness and understand of CSAT, adoption rate is hindered significantly by socio-economic, demographic, and institutional factors. To address these constraints, it is recommended that government and financial institutions should develop programs aimed at reducing financial barriers for low-income farmers. Government should invest in rural infrastructure to promote farmers access to services. Priority should be given to enhancing extension services and promoting farmer associations to enhance adoption of CSAT and other innovative technologies.
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    Effect of Information Communication Technologies on Information Access in Lesotho Extension System
    (Merit Research Journal of Agricultural Science and Soil Sciences, 2019-01-01) Akintunde* M.A.O. and Oladele O.I.
    The study assessed the effect of Information Communication Technologies on information access among public and private agricultural extension officers in Lesotho. ICT infrastructure in Lesotho is currently low, with accessibility to telecommunication services of about 3% of the entire population for land telephone lines and just about 20% for mobile phone. Lesotho ICT policy has provided guidance by allocating various responsibilities to role players: this involves the Ministry of Communications to formulate policies and the Lesotho Telecommunication Authority (LTA) to regulate operations in communication infrastructure. However, the effect of ICT on information access among extension officers is still not known. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 86 public and 19 private extension officers. Data collected were analysed through the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), using frequencies, percentages, mean, standard deviation and multiple regressions. Both categories of extension officers (public and private) had very high perceptions of the positive effects of information and communications technology on access to information. They scored high in most of the twenty-nine statements measuring these effects. The multiple regression model revealed a strong relationship between independent variables and public and private extension officers’ information access. Collaborations between public and private extension should be be strengthened, since private extension service is more organized than the public, this will help the use of ICT in the development programmes in the country.
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    Effect of land management practices in the lowlands on grass productivity and soil properties in the rangeland of Lesotho
    (National University of Lesotho, 2024-11-02) Ramochela, Stephen Motlatsi
    The study was conducted at Mahloenyeng rangeland, Matsieng, Maseru, Lesotho, to determine the effect of land management practices on grass productivity and soil properties in the lowland rangeland. The experiment had two treatment sites; rangeland fire and stone gabions, and three control sites which are the north-facing slope, the south-facing slope, and a riparian area, each with three replications. The indices determined were ecological data (vegetation characteristics), nutrient content, soil properties, and grass seed production. Grass cover, diversity, density, and frequency were measured using line transect and the point method. The Nitrogen-Isotope Ratio method was used to evaluate crude protein, the analysis of dietary fibre method was used to determine neutral detergent fibre, and the forage fibre analysis was used to determine acid detergent fibre and acid detergent lignin. The soil pH was determined using 1:2 (w/v) ratio, soil organic matter was determined using the Walkey-black method, and soil phosphorus was determined using Bray and Kurtz 1 (1980) method. Soil nitrogen was determined using the Kjeldahl method and soil potassium was calculated using the slope. The grass seed weight was determined using an electronic scale. This study found that rangeland fire and stone gabions had significant (p<0.05) effect on vegetation characteristics in rangeland sites in autumn and winter seasons and with no significant (p>0.05) differences amongst grass species. Rangeland fire and stone gabion sites had significant (p<0.05) effect on forage nutrient content namely neutral detergent fibre, acid detergent fibre, acid detergent lignin, crude protein, cellulose, hemicellulose, and ash content but not on dry matter (p>0.05) in autumn and winter seasons. Rangeland fire and stone gabions significantly (p<0.05) affected soil properties namely soil pH, soil organic matter, soil nitrogen, soil phosphorus, and soil potassium, in bothseasons and likewise on seed production (p<0.05) in autumn and winter. The correlation of vegetation indices in autumn and winter seasons had significant (p<0.05) effect. Therefore, the vegetation characteristics of grass cover in rangelands must be understood for the sustainable use of grass cover for long term use of rangelands and the development of long-term range management strategies which can govern grazing length, carrying capacity, and distribution of animals in a rangeland should be investigated.
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    Effect of restricted feeding and season on the carcass chemical composition of Koekoek chickens
    (International Journal of Applied Poultry Research, 2014) Molapo, S. M.; Webb, E. C.
    The main objective of the study was to determine the effect of restricted feeding and season on carcass chemical composition of Koekoek chickens. Two hundred and seventy hens and 27 cocks were used. The experiment was designed as a factorial of two seasons and four feeding regime treatments. The four treatments were AA, AR, RA and RR. Each treatment had seven replicates (10 birds per replicate) with an exception of RR treatment which was replicated six times (10 birds per replicate). Data was collected at 18 and 32 weeks of age. At the age of 18 weeks, feed restriction had an impact on dry matter, fat and crude protein percentage. At 32 weeks of age, birds that were fed restrictedly had reduced fat content and increased crude protein. The lowest crude protein percentage was recorded in chickens that were allocated to full feeding for the entire study (AA). Chickens that were allotted to summer treatment had a higher dry matter and crude protein content than chickens that were in winter treatment at 18 weeks of age. Koekoek chickens that were in summer and winter treatments performed differently in terms dry matter, ash, crude fat and crude protein percentages at the age of 32 weeks. It is therefore, concluded that restricted feeding coupled with rearing chickens in winter resulted in lean carcass with more protein.
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    Effect of restricted feeding on carcass characteristics of Koekoek chickens
    (Anim. Vet. Sci, 2014) Molapo, S. M.; Webb, E. C.
    An experiment was conducted to evaluate the impact of feed restriction on carcass characteristics of Koekoek chickens. Two hundred and seventy hens and twenty seven cocks were randomly allocated to four feeding level treatments in a completely randomized design in chickens were full-fed in the rearing and laying phases (AA), chickens were full-fed in the rearing phase and restricted fed during the laying phase (AR), chickens were fed restricted feeding in the rearing phase and full-fed in the laying phase (RA) and chickens were fed restrictedly during the rearing and laying phases (RR). Each treatment had seven replicates (10 animals per replicate) with the exception of RR treatment which had six replicates (10 animals per replicate). Collected data was subjected to SPSS (17.00) package and analyzed by using analysis of variance (ANOVA). In the rearing phase, feed restriction resulted in reduced slaughter weight, dressing weight, skin weight, breast muscle weight, shank width, chest width and heart girth (P<0.05). Abdominal fat weight was higher (P<0.05) in chickens that were full-fed. At the age of 32 weeks, the effect of compensatory growth was prominent in chickens that that were subjected to RA treatment in a number of carcass traits. It is concluded that full feeding only in the laying phase (RA) would be the appropriate feeding management technique if chickens were to be slaughtered in the laying phase.
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    Effect of restricted feeding on the growth performance of Koekoek chickens.
    (International Journal of Applied Poultry Research, 2014) Molapo, S. M.; Webb, E. C.
    The objective of this study was to determine the effect of restricted feeding on growth performance of Koekoek chickens. Two hundred and seventy Koekoek chickens were randomly allocated to four feeding treatments. The four treatments were AA (full feeding throughout the study), AR (full feeding for rearing and feed restriction for laying, RA (feed restriction for rearing and full feeding for laying phase) and RR (restricted feeding throughout the study). Feed restriction during the rearing phase (AA and AR) significantly (P<0.05) increased the final body weights and total weight gains of chickens. The feed intake was significantly higher in full-fed chickens. Unrestricted feeding during the rearing phase (AA and AR) significantly improved the average feed conversion ratio. During the laying phase, final body weights of chickens in RA treatment were significantly heavier compared to those in other treatments. Chickens in RA treatment gained (P<0.05) more weight followed by birds in AA, RR and AR treatments respectively. The chickens that were feed restricted only during the laying phase (RA) were significantly efficient in feed conversion. Therefore, it is concluded that early feed restriction is the best feeding management strategy. Key words: Full-fed, weight gain, feed intake, feed conversion ratio, mortality rate