Lupine is applicable in diets for layer chickens of parental flock

Climatic conditions in most Russian regions are unfavorable for the cultivation of soy beans which are considered the best protein source in diets for all types of poultry. Soya yield in Russian soya-producing regions (Far East, Krasnodar Krai, and some other southern territories) cannot provide the growing poultry production with this important protein source. The alternatives for soybean meal and other soya products are therefore in need; domestically selected low-alkaloid cultivars of white and narrow-leaf lupine are increasingly gaining importance as vegetable protein sources. Feed-grade lupine usually contains up to 42 % of crude protein. The disadvantages of lupine are high contents of fiber (12.5-16.0 %) and lignin (0.9 %), and the presence of alkaloids. Alkaloid content in sweet lupine cultivars is 0.008-0.12 %, in bitter cultivars 1-3 %. Chemical and amino acid composition of white lupine modern cultivars was earlier determined, and their efficiency in poultry diets was studied in vivo...