Whole canola/pea and whole canola/canola meal blends in diets for broiler chickens 1. Evaluation of steam-pelleting or expansion processing

Whole canola blended with whole peas (1:1 ; WCP) or canola meal (3:1; WCC) provide complementary high energy-protein supplements for poultry feeding. Both WPC and WCC blends were fed with or without processing (steam-pelleting or expansion) to broiler chicks in a 14-d feeding trial. Pelleted WCP supported higher body weight gain and feed efficiency than the untreated blend (P < 0.05). Body weight gain and feed efficiency obtained with chicks fed pelleted WCP or WCC were similar to those obtained for the expanded blends (P > 0.05), with notable exception of the expanded WCC which had a lower feeding value. With the pelleted or expanded blends, protein digestibility, N-retention, fat digestibility, and AME_N were comparable or improved over the unprocessed blends, again with the exception of the expanded WCC. The processed blends had higher gelatinized starch, and lower protein solubility and myrosinase activity index. Protein solubility was very low for the expanded WCC, which is indicative of excessive heat damage. Although the expanded blends had lower glucosinolate content, this did not result in improved growth performance over the pelleted blends. It was concluded that the nutritional value of pelleted blends were at least equivalent to that of the expanded WCP and WCC for broiler chicks.