Abstract
A diet including 300 g kg-1 of autoclaved (1/2 h or 1 h) Canavalia ensilormis (L.) DC. seeds was fed to chicks during weeks 1-8 or weeks 5-8 of an 8-week growth period and compared with a commercial diet. C. ensiformis reduced growth rates by 35-55%, reduced feed intake and conversion efficiency and caused enlargement of the pancreas and liver. Duration of autoclaving and feeding period had no significant effect on growth rate. Mortality and intestinal lesions were absent in all treatments, suggesting that the toxic effects of the lectins were eliminated by the autoclaving; the poor growth rate in chicks fed the C. ensiformis diet may therefore be accounted for by the presence in the diet of other anti-nutritive factors such as canavanine. It was concluded that more processing of the C. ensiformis than autoclaving is required for seeds to be incorporated in commercial diets and produce satisfactory growth rates.
