MVSc

An investigation was carried out to evaluate the effect
of supplementation of sodium sulphate in White Leghorn layer
diets devoid of animal protein sources. White Leghorn 'Ft
strain pullets of 20 weeks of age were wing banded and
randomly distributed to five different dietary treatment
groups, each with eight replicates of four birds each. The
dietary treatment consisted of control ration (T1) prepared
using unsalted dried fish as animal protein source, all
vegetable protein diet with the addition of 300 g
DL-methionine (T2), all vegetable protein diet with the
addition of anhydrous sodium sulphate at the levels of 200 g
(T3), 300 g (T4) and 400 g (Ts) in every 100 kg of diet. All
the rations were formulated as per BIS (1992) specification of
nutrients for layer chicken. Soyabean cake, groundnut cake
and gingelly oil cake were used as protein sources in
vegetable protein diet. Body weight at 20 and 48 weeks of
age, age at sexual maturity, egg production, feed intake, feed
efficiency, egg weight, livability and cost-benefit analysis
were the major criteria considered for the evaluation. The
data were recorded for seven, 28 day periods.
There was significant difference in body weight at 48
weeks of age (P layer ration (T1) and birds fed with 0.4 per cent sodium
sulphate were significantly (P<0.05) higher than those birds







fed with 0.3 per cent sodium supplemented diet.
But body weight of birds fed with standard layer ration (T1)
was comparable with body weight of birds fed with vegetable
protein diet having 0.4 per cent sodium sulphate (Ts).
Similar trend was followed in egg weight also, with
significantly higher egg weight in treatment group fed with
0.4 per cent sodium sulphate (Ts). Egg weight of birds fed
with standard layer ration (T1) was comparable with T,
(P and hen-housed egg production and feed efficiency were not
affected by the supplementation of Sodium Sulphate. Feed
intake showed significant (P treatments. The group fed with 0.3 per cent methionine (T2)
had significantly lower feed intake in comparison with 0.2 per
cent (T3) and 0.3 per cent sodium sulphate (T4) supplemented
group. Feed intake of birds fed with control diet (T1) was
statistically comparable with all treatment groups except
those birds fed with vegetable protein diet with 0.4 per cent
sodium sulphate (Ts). Mortality pattern showed no difference
among the five dietary treatments tested. All vegetable
protein ration prepared with the addition of either methionine
or sodium sulphate had higher price when compared with
standard layer ration. Based on this study it was surmised
that sodium sulphate supplementation did not have any
deleterious effect on production performance of White Leghorn
layers. So methionine or sodium sulphate can be effectively
utilized in formulation of all vegetable layer ration when
scarcity of fish occurs.