Feeding of Unground Pearl Millet to Laying Hens

The use of new varieties of pearl millet (PM) as an alternative feed ingredient for poultry has gained increased interest due to the favorable nutritional characteristics of this grain. However, its incorporation into poultry feeds has been limited because commercial availability of PM in the United States is currently low and also because many feed mills lack the capacity to store more than 1 ground grain. Previous studies have demonstrated the advantages of the inclusion of moderate levels of whole grains in poultry feeds. A series of 3 experiments was conducted to investigate whether unground PM would be a satisfactory feed ingredient for laying hens. In Experiment 1, diets containing 5, 10, 20, 30, and 40% unground PM were fed. At the end of a 7-d feeding period, it was determined that the percentage of whole seed disappearance was equal to or greater than 98% at all levels of inclusion. No significant differences in whole seed disappearance were detected among treatments, indicating that laying hens have the capacity to break down whole PM seeds. In Experiment 2, diets containing 0 or 15% inclusion of either ground or unground PM were fed to laying hens for a 7-d feeding period. Starch digestibility of the diets was determined to be >97% for all treatments. Significantly greater starch digestibility was observed in the hens fed the 15% unground PM as compared with the hens receiving the ground PM diet. In Experiment 3, after a 4-wk feeding period, it was determined that the inclusion of 10% unground PM does not have a negative or positive effect on feed consumption or egg production. These results indicate that PM is a satisfactory feed ingredient for laying hens that can be included in the unground form at moderate levels.