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MSc (Agriculture in Animal Science), North-West University, Mafikeng Campus, 2019 The current study was conducted to evaluate the effect of Moringa oleifera leaf meal (MOLM) inclusion in layer rations on growth performance, egg laying performance, egg quality parameters and hatchability performance of Potchefstroom koekoek (PK) hens. In addition, the study also evaluated the effect of MOLM on growth performance, semen and sperm quality parameters of Potchefstroom koekoek cockerels. Forty-eight PK hens at age twenty-two weeks were randomly allocated to two dietary treatments: MOLM0 (control)= diet with no MOLM inclusion; MOLM70 = diet with 70g/kg of MOLM inclusion. Each treatment was replicated four times with each pen holding six hens as the experimental unit. Non-fertile eggs were collected for nine weeks. When hens reached thirty-one weeks of age, eight cocks were introduced to the study and randomly allocated to a mating ratio of 6 hens: 1 cock. Fertile eggs were collected for 14 days to measure hatchability performance. In addition, thirty-two Potchefstroom koekoek cockerels were assigned to two dietary treatments: MOLM0 (control) and MOLM70, for the duration of twenty weeks. Each experimental unit (a pen) contained 4 birds and was replicated 4 times. Feed intake, weight gain, feed conversion ratio (FCR), Semen motility parameters (curvilinear velocity (VCL), average pathway velocity (YAP), straight line velocity (VSL) straightness, wobble and linearity), progression parameters (PM, NPM & static), pH, concentration, velocity, volume and morphology were evaluated. There were no significant (P>0.05) effects on feed conversion ratio, average weight gain and egg laying performance for all treatments. However, diet significantly (p0.05) noticed in terms of egg weight, egg content, egg shell thickness and all internal egg parameters apart from albumen length. However, diet significantly affected (P

PhD (Animal Science), North-West University, Mafikeng Campus, 2018 The current study was conducted to assess growth performance, protein utilisation efficiency, blood parameters, meat quality, bone breaking strength, density and mineral composition of Potchefstroom Koekoek (PK) cockerels offered canola meal as an alternative to soybean meal. The aim of the study was to evaluate the potential use of canola meal (CM) to replace soybean meal (SBM) in broiler grower diet as protein source. This was achieved through feeding indigenous chickens diets with incremental levels of CM with the expectation that the chicken’s performance would have negatively affected. A hundred and seventy-five, 36-day old PK cockerels were randomly allocated to the dietary treatments: Control = diet with no canola meal inclusion, CM37.5 = 37.5 g canola meal/kg soybean meal, CM62.5 = 62.5 g canola meal/kg soybean meal, CM87.5 = 87.5 g canola meal /kg soybean meal, CM175 = 175 g canola meal/kg soybean meal. Canola meal had numerically higher average concentration of ash, crude fibre while dry matter, organic matter and crude protein were higher in SBM. The concentration of calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), magnesium (Mg), sodium (Na) and sulphur (S) was numerically higher in SBM while copper (Cu), manganese (Mn) and iron (Fe) were higher in CM. Formulated diets had similar (P > 0.05) apparent digestibility values for minerals, dry matter and fibre but higher inclusion of CM reduced (P < 0.05) crude protein (CP) digestibility. Diet significantly affected growth performance parameters, protein utilisation efficiency and serum biochemistry of the PK cockerels. All the mean values of the haematological parameters were within the normal range regardless of the inclusion levels of CM. The PK cockerels fed control diet had the lowest (P