Thumbnail Image

Kerala Agricultural University, Thrissur

The history of agricultural education in Kerala can be traced back to the year 1896 when a scheme was evolved in the erstwhile Travancore State to train a few young men in scientific agriculture at the Demonstration Farm, Karamana, Thiruvananthapuram, presently, the Cropping Systems Research Centre under Kerala Agricultural University. Agriculture was introduced as an optional subject in the middle school classes in the State in 1922 when an Agricultural Middle School was started at Aluva, Ernakulam District. The popularity and usefulness of this school led to the starting of similar institutions at Kottarakkara and Konni in 1928 and 1931 respectively. Agriculture was later introduced as an optional subject for Intermediate Course in 1953. In 1955, the erstwhile Government of Travancore-Cochin started the Agricultural College and Research Institute at Vellayani, Thiruvananthapuram and the College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences at Mannuthy, Thrissur for imparting higher education in agricultural and veterinary sciences, respectively. These institutions were brought under the direct administrative control of the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Animal Husbandry, respectively. With the formation of Kerala State in 1956, these two colleges were affiliated to the University of Kerala. The post-graduate programmes leading to M.Sc. (Ag), M.V.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees were started in 1961, 1962 and 1965 respectively. On the recommendation of the Second National Education Commission (1964-66) headed by Dr. D.S. Kothari, the then Chairman of the University Grants Commission, one Agricultural University in each State was established. The State Agricultural Universities (SAUs) were established in India as an integral part of the National Agricultural Research System to give the much needed impetus to Agriculture Education and Research in the Country. As a result the Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) was established on 24th February 1971 by virtue of the Act 33 of 1971 and started functioning on 1st February 1972. The Kerala Agricultural University is the 15th in the series of the SAUs. In accordance with the provisions of KAU Act of 1971, the Agricultural College and Research Institute at Vellayani, and the College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Mannuthy, were brought under the Kerala Agricultural University. In addition, twenty one agricultural and animal husbandry research stations were also transferred to the KAU for taking up research and extension programmes on various crops, animals, birds, etc. During 2011, Kerala Agricultural University was trifurcated into Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (KVASU), Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS) and Kerala Agricultural University (KAU). Now the University has seven colleges (four Agriculture, one Agricultural Engineering, one Forestry, one Co-operation Banking & Management), six RARSs, seven KVKs, 15 Research Stations and 16 Research and Extension Units under the faculties of Agriculture, Agricultural Engineering and Forestry. In addition, one Academy on Climate Change Adaptation and one Institute of Agricultural Technology offering M.Sc. (Integrated) Climate Change Adaptation and Diploma in Agricultural Sciences respectively are also functioning in Kerala Agricultural University.

Browse

20053
Reset filters
Subject: Poultry Science × End date: 2005 × Start date: 2005 ×
Reset filters

Search Results

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
  • Thumbnail Image
    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Supplimentation of protease on the production performance of Japanese qualis (Coturnis coturnis japonica) fed low protein diet
    (Department of Poultry Science,College of Veterinary and Animal Science, Mannuthy, 2005) Sheena Grace Koshy; KAU; Elizabeth, V K
    The effects of different levels of protease supplementation viz., 0.02 and 0.04 per cent in low protein layer ration of Japanese quails on their production performance and economic feasibility was evaluated using one hundred and sixty laying birds for a period of twenty weeks. The birds were divided into four dietary treatment groups, viz., standard quail layer ration (T0), low protein quail layer ration (T1), low protein quail layer ration with 0.02 per cent protease (T2), and low protein quail layer ration with 0.04 per cent protease (T3). The standard quail layer ration was formulated as per the recommendations for laying Japanese quails by the Central Avian Research Institute, Izatnagar. It contained 22 per cent crude protein (CP) and 2650 kcal/kg of metabolisable energy. The low protein quail layer ration was formulated with a low percentage of crude protein (CP 18%) and same level of metabolisable energy as the standard layer ration. The body weight gain during the entire experimental period was highest for the birds fed 0.02 percent of protease compared to other treatment groups. But analysis of data revealed no significant difference between treatments. Age at sexual maturity and 50 per cent production were not at all influenced by enzyme supplementation statistically. Numerically the birds fed 0.04 per cent enzyme reached age at sexual maturity and 50 per cent production earlier. A numerical improvement was noticed in total egg production, over all hen day and hen housed egg number and overall hen housed and hen day egg production per cent in the birds fed 0.02 per cent protease with low protein layer ration compared to the non supplemented group. Egg weight and egg quality characteristics such as shape, albumen and yolk indices, internal quality unit (IQU) and shell thickness were not affected by enzyme treatment. Feed intake per bird per day and feed efficiency were not significantly influenced by the supplementation of enzyme. Only the serum protein values of standard quail layer ration was statistically more than the other groups. However the enzyme treatment had no effect on the serum protein values of low protein groups. The retention per cent of nitrogen was highest for the groups of birds fed low protein layer rations and lowest for those fed standard protein layer ration. The retention of nitrogen was unaffected by the enzyme treatment. The mortality was not affected by the enzyme treatment. The analysis of economics indicated least cost per egg for the birds fed 0.02 per cent enzyme (T2). The birds fed standard layer ration performed better than low protein groups without or with two levels of protease.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Utilisation of dried cuttle fish (Sepia officialis) waste silage in layer duck ration
    (Department of Poultry Science, College of Veterinary and Animal Science, Mannuthy, 2005) Jayant Govindan; KAU; Peethambaran, P V
    An experiment was conducted in Department of Poultry Science, Kerala Agricultural University during the period from June to November, 2004 to assess the utilization of dried cuttle fish waste silage (CFWS) on replacement of dried fish (DF) in indigenous layer duck ration. At the age of 24 weeks, 96 layer ducks were housed under cage system of rearing with two ducks per cage. They were divided into three groups T1, T2 and T3 comprising 32 ducks per group with 8 replicates having four ducks per replicate. The three groups of ducks were fed with dietary combinations of 10 per cent DF and zero per cent dried CFWS (T1), 5 per cent DF and 11.45 per cent dried CFWS (T2) and 22.9 per cent dried CFWS replacing DF completely (T3) and the diets were made isocaloric and isonitrogenous. The first egg in the flock was laid in groups T1 and T2 at 169 days of age and ages at 10 and 50 per cent production were also early in T1. The overall duck housed number and duck housed per cent production during 25-44 weeks of age were 75.06 and 53.61 in T1 which was though numerically superior was statistically non significant compared with T2 and T3. The overall mean daily feed consumption was 166.36,166.80 and 168.35 g per duck which were statistically comparable between various treatment groups. The overall feed conversion ratio per dozen eggs was 3.58, 4.23 and 4.32 and per kg egg mass was 4.65, 5.14 and 5.22 in T1, T2 and T3 respectively which was non-significant (P<0.05). The overall mean egg weight (EW) was 63.80, 67.74 and 67.09 g in T1, T2 and T3 having significantly lower EW in T1, whereas it was comparable between T2 and T3. The lower DHN in groups fed dried CFWS was compensated by higher mean egg weight and thereby total egg mass in the study periodwas maintained in the cuttle fish waste silage fed groups. All the internal egg quality traits namely, albumen index, yolk index, percent shell and shell thickness did not differ between treatment groups during five, 28-day periods. Livability was excellent in all groups. Economically, though control group showed higher feeding cost, due to higher egg number it returned higher margin of return over feed cost of rupees 0.26 per egg, whereas it was Rs. 0.04 in T2 and Rs.0.14 in T3. Thus, it was concluded that dried cuttle fish waste silage can be included at 11.5 and 22.9 per cent levels in duck layer rations with significantly higher mean egg weight as 50 and 100 per cent replacement for dried fish protein under cage system of rearing of ducks.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Utilisation of dried cuttle fish (sepia officialis) waste silage in japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) layer ration
    (College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Mannuthy, 2005) Lekshmy, M A; KAU; Jalaludeen, A
    An experiment was conducted in Japanese quail layers from six to 26 weeks of age by replacing unsalted dried fish with cuttle fish waste silage on crude protein basis. The objective was to assess the production performance as well as the economics of feed cost over production. Two hundred and forty Japanese quail pullets of six weeks age were divided randomly into twelve groups of 20 birds each. They were randomly allotted into three treatment groups, T1, T2 and T3 and maintained on isonitrogenous and isocaloric diet. The unsalted dried fish content in the control ration (T1) was replaced by cuttle fish waste silage at 50 and 100 per cent levels in T2 and T3, respectively. The initial and final body weight were recorded. Data collection was done for five periods of twenty eight days each from seven to twenty six weeks. At the end of the trial pooled yolk samples and two liver samples from each replicate were analysed for fatty acid profile. The initial and final body weight and the body weight gain during experimental period for different dietary treatments did not differ significantly. The birds belonged to group T2 attained sexual maturity first followed by the control group T1. There was a slight delay for group T3 in attaining sexual maturity (P<0.01). The age at 10 and 50 per cent production did not differ significantly between treatments. The period wise mean daily feed consumption was lower in T3 than T1 and T2 (P<0.01). The mean feed intake was highest in T1 followed by T2 and T3 and the treatments differed significantly (P<0.05). The cumulative feed conversion efficiency was superior inT1 and T2 (P<0.01) than T3. The cumulative hen housed and hen day egg number of T1 and T2 were significantly higher (p<0.01) than T3. Though the per cent hen housed and hen day egg production of birds in treatments T1 and T2 were significantly higher in all the periods, the overall mean values did not show any significant difference. The egg quality traits recorded viz., shape index, albumen index, yolk index, internal quality unit and shell thickness did not differ significantly between treatments in any of the periods (P>0.05). The oleic acid content of quail liver was significantly higher in T3 than T1 but no significant difference was noticed among the egg yolk fatty acids. The cost of feed per egg was lowest in T2 followed by T1 and T3. Overall evaluation of the study reveals that the cuttle fish waste silage could be used economically to replace 50 per cent of crude protein from unsalted dried fish on protein basis in Japanese quail layer rations, without any adverse effect on growth, production and egg quality and feed cost.