Chickpea and prospects of its use in feeding farm animals and poultry

At the present time, the problem of searching for alternative sources of protein is urgent, since its deficiency is becoming more important at livestock and poultry enterprises in the Volgograd Region. In this regard, comprehensive studies on the possibility of using substandard chickpea of Privo-1 variety of Volgograd selection in the diets of cattle and agricultural poultry were carried out. The study of the amino acid composition of different varieties of chickpea in Volgograd revealed the superiority of Privo-1 variety over Krasnokutskiy-36 and Volgogradskiy-10: in terms of me-thionine – by 0.12% and 0.09%, lysine – by 0.34% and 0.22%, tryptophan – by 0.06% and 0.05%, respectively. For such amino acids as threonine, arginine, isoleucine, leucine, valine, histidine, there was a similar trend. In this regard, it was decided to further study the chickpea of Privo-1 variety. The content of crude protein in chickpea seeds is 28.5%, raw fat – 5.2%. It was also found that, in regard to mineral substances, chickpea seeds were leading in comparison with sunflower oil cake: in the content of calcium – by 0.13 g, potassium – by 0.18 g, sodium – by 0.38 g, iron – by 45.0 mg, manganese – by 2.04 mg, and cobalt – by 0.76 mg. The experiment under the conditions of ZAO "Agrofirma "Vostok"" established a positive effect of partial or complete replacement of sunflower oil cake with chickpea in cows' diets. At the same time, there was an increase in daily average milk yield by 3.06-7.57%, as well as in some quality indicators of milk: fat – by 0.04-0.07%, protein – by 0.03-0.07%, dry matter – by 0.43-1.08%, nonfat milk solids – by 0.69-1.74%. The use of chickpea in calf feeding resulted in an increase in the intensity of their growth; the average daily growth was higher by 2.93-3.98%. Introduction of the Privo-1 chickpea to the diet of rearing bull-calves contributed to obtaining a larger volume of ejaculate with an increase in the sperm concentration of 1 ml to 0.11 billion. Partial or complete replacement of sunflower oil cake with chickpea in combined fodder for poultry resulted in an increase in the live weight of broiler chickens at slaughter by 5.59-6.77%, egg production of laying hens by 3.05-4.69%. Based on the research, it is possible to recommend the introduction of chickpea in diets of cattle and poultry in order to increase their productive qualities.