F FEED

Lupins
for layers
by Tony Burgess, Birchgrove Eggs, UK
and Liz Humphries, Aberystwyth University, UK
upins are a high protein, high energy,
nitrogen-fixing grain legume with a
protein and oil composition that can
effectively compete with imported
soya as part of livestock and fish diets.
As a result, lupins have considerable
potential to provide a comparable
UK-grown vegetable protein source
for farmed animals and aquaculture, as
well as providing other advantages as
arable break crops. With the proposed CAP greening reforms and
the requirements of the new Basic Payment Scheme in respect of
Ecological Focus Areas, there has never been a better time to look
at legumes in crop rotations and lupins in particular tick several
boxes.
Over the last three years an industry-led consortium has been
carrying out research into the use of home grown yellow and
narrow-leafed lupins as a soya replacement in animal feeds,
research that is coming to an end, at least for now. The project
was led by Poultry Producer, Tony Burgess of Birchgrove Eggs
and in addition to leading the partnership Tony undertook a full
commercial trial on a flock of 3,000 Bovan layers as part of the
project.
The project Lupins in UK Agriculture and Aquaculture
(LUKAA) arose from a UK Government drive to investigate
34 | Milling and Grain

the feasibility for sustainable home grown sources of protein for

UK farmed animals and aquaculture. This project involved ten
industrial partners co-funded by the UKs innovation agency,
Innovate UK and in partnership with the Biotechnology and
Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and two research
institutions.
The projects mission was to investigate a home-grown protein
source, in this case edible or sweet lupins, as a soyabean meal
replacement in livestock and fish diets. Partners used innovative
approaches to breeding, agronomy, feed processing and nutrition
to try to overcome technical and economic barriers and provide
incentives for lupin use in terrestrial and aquatic farm animal
production.
Options for poultry feed were explored initially through a series
of experiments at Aberystwyth University, where different diets
using the yellow and narrow-leafed lupins were fed to layers.
Point of lay hens were fed one of four diets for 18 weeks (6 week
growing phase plus 12 week laying phase), their performance
monitored and egg quality recorded. Bird performance
measurements included bird live weight, dry matter intake, water
intake, faecal dry matter, faecal bacterial counts, egg production
and weight, shell weight, yolk and colour characteristics.
All the rations contained 15-16 percent protein with an energy
value of 11.4 Mega Joules per kilogram. The control diet was
a standard soya based layers mash and in each of the trial diets

EXCELLENCE IN YEAST
EXCELLENT FOR POULTRY

Whole
lupins

De-hulled
lupins

Bird weight at 36 wk (kg)

2.03

2.12

2.09

2.07

NS

Diet
differences

DM Intake (g)

166

151

152

138

0.045

Eggs per day

0.92

0.93

0.97

0.94

NS

Egg weight (g)

60.23

60.38

61.21

60.02

NS

Shell weight (g)

6.01

5.92

6.24

5.83

NS

59.38

59.57

59.55

NS

35.33

35.74

36.59

NS

Yolk redness (a*)

6.35

7.81

7.6

7.92

<0.001

in G

ermany M
a

de

lupins were included at 150 grams per kilogram, either whole or

de-hulled, with or without the addition of a novel fermentation
product shown to improve nutritional availability.
The findings of these experiments with both the narrow leafed
and yellow lupins were that lupins can be successfully fed to
laying hens without compromising performance or egg quality.
There was no effect on bird growth or weight, no effect on dry
matter or water intake, no effect on egg production (number
or weight), no effect on bird health. In both cases a significant
increase in yolk redness was observed. In both cases neither
dehulling the lupins nor adding the novel fermentation product
had any significant effect.
Following these results a third trial testing different inclusion
rates of lupin was carried out using the yellow lupin. The
experimental diets included the lupin at 15 percent layers mash
with whole lupin (50:50 soya and lupins ratio); at 22.5 percent
layers mash with whole lupin and; 30 percent layers mash with
whole lupin, 100 percent soya replacement. This study concluded
that inclusion of yellow lupins to reduce soya inclusion had no
effect upon bird live weight, dry matter or water intake, egg
production (number or weight), egg quality parameters or bird
health. Again however, yolk redness was affected by lupin
inclusion in a manner that varied for each diet over time.
Following these successful trials under experimental conditions
a full scale commercial trial was carried out at Birchgrove Eggs
where a shed, containing flock of 3,000 Bovan hens, was fed a
diet containing yellow lupins for 18 weeks. The experimental
feed, supplied by Wynnstay PLC, was a balanced layers feed
which included a protein replacement source of 15 percent
whole (hulls intact) yellow lupins, in part replacement for soya

REAL
BREWERS
YEAST

G
in

erm

M ade i n G e
rm
y
an
an

de in Germany

Presented at Worlds Poultry Science Association (WPSA) UK Spring

meeting 2014 and published in British Poultry Abstracts.

rm

a
M

59.85
35.38

Yolk lightness (L)

Yolk yellowness (b*)

any Made in

Control

e
ad

De-hulled
lupins +
Fermentation
Product

Ge

Table 1. Layer performance and egg quality, when fed yellow lupins

Leiber brewers yeast products

Excellent for:
Cell regeneration
Immune system
Fertility/Performance
Digestion
Prebiotic effect
Coat/claws
Leiber GmbH
Hafenstrae 24
49565 Bramsche
Germany
Tel. +49 (0)5461 9303-0
Fax +49 (0)5461 9303-29
www.leibergmbh.de
info@leibergmbh.de

January 2015 | 35

protein. At 150 grams per kilogram the lupins replaced up to 30

percent of the soya in the diet. This was fed to the flock from
week 16 through to week 36, a period covering the important
phases of onsite bird relocation and growth stage, through to
maximum production. The housed weights of the birds averaged
1300g at 17 weeks. The yellow lupins used for the layer trials
were grown in Devon and supplied by Soya UK, the Bovans
were supplied by Joice and Hill.
The performance of the Bovan hens was compared with the
previous cycles performance in the same house. In line with
the findings of the earlier experiments at the University, the
commercial trial at Birchgrove Eggs was successful. The birds
fed the lupin ration performed the same if not better than those
who had eaten a standard wheat/soya ration. Body weight was
maintained and egg production was the same at week 37. That
is, the incorporation of yellow lupins at 15 percent of dry matter
had no negative effect on bird growth, live weight, health and
egg production. The table below compares key indicators from
the 18 week commercial trial period in 2013 at Birchgrove with
those from a more standard commercial flock at Birchgrove in
2012.
It was also observed that the birds fed on lupin based feed had
100 percent feather cover at week 37.
Other components of the project set out to tackle the most
difficult aspect of using home-grown lupins in animal feed in
the UK, the availability and supply of lupins. At the current
time lupins grown in the UK amount to around 4,000ha. Richard
Flack, former Nutritionist at Wynnstay PLC stated that if demand
arose from e.g. the supermarket sector, for eggs produced from
a lupin based protein diet, Wynnstay alone would be looking for
about 200-300 tonnes of lupin per month. This equates to about
12,000ha of lupin sown. Richard also calculated that lupin as a
break crop could, under the right market conditions, produce in
the region of 630 gross margin per hectare for growers. With
increasing pressures on current high value crops such as oil seed
rape predicted into the future, now is perhaps an opportune time
for growers to consider lupins in their rotation.
An improved agronomic package for narrow-leafed and yellow
lupins in the UK will be important to improving productivity.
Project partners PGRO have recently published a Lupin
Agronomy Guide, available to download from their website
www.pgro.org. This offers updated advice to growers on the
Table 2. A comparison of results between birds fed a standard soya based
feed in 2012 and those fed a lupin-based feed during the trial in 2013
2012 Bovans/soya
fed

2013 Bovans/Lupin
trial flock

Production wk 20

86%

82%

Production wk 24

86%

90%

Production wk 37

90%

90%

Body weight average wk 37

1935g

1950g

Feed consumption wk 37

125g

117g

Egg weight wk 37

64g

66g

Water consumption

Breed guidelines

Breed guidelines

Figures are estimates using standard

commercial data collection methods

36 | Milling and Grain

Positive outcomes from the project

Tony admitted he had concerns before the commercial trial

such as palatability of lupins to poultry, feed consumption,
general overall bird health and egg production, but these
were laid to rest and all have exceeded expectations. Similar
positive results were found in both the ruminant and the
aquaculture feeding trials carried out by other partners on the
project.
Overall, Tony believes that so far home grown lupins
tick all the boxes as a soya replacement. In addition the
project has also raised a number of new questions based on
observations. Tony is keen to point out that there are also
possibilities that lupins can offer other benefits in animal
and fish feed diets such as improved amino acid content
and lower cholesterol levels, however, he emphasises that
more specific research needs to be carried out to investigate
these potential factors. Tony is also keen to look further into
the potential benefits of lupins crude fibre content which
is 18 percent where soya is 3-6 percent. Again this is not
something the partners have been able to explore through the
current project but could be a valuable direction for further
detailed investigation.
ideal conditions for growing, weed control, crop reliability and
value of home grown lupins in the rotation as a spring break crop.
Partners recognise that perhaps the next hardest part will be to
convince supermarkets, caterers, farmers, growers and feed mills
of the benefits of using a home grown lupin as a soya protein
replacement. The partners realise that despite these favourable
results the success of lupins in the UK will rely heavily on
demand from consumers, retailers and caterers, this demand will
then translate through the much shorter supply chain than soya to producers and growers.
This three year, business-led project brings together 10
industrial partners and two research research institutes
(Birchgrove Eggs, Alltech, Alvan Blanch, Ecomarine, Germinal
Seeds, Kelvin Cave, PGRO, Soya UK, The Arable Group
(TAG), Wynnstay PLC and the Universities of Aberystwyth
and Plymouth). The project is funded by the industry partners
co-funded by the UKs innovation agency, Innovate UK in
collaboration with the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences
Research Council.
http://www.aber.ac.uk/en/ibers/research/major_research_
projects/lukaa_project/
Innovate UK is the UKs innovation agency. Its goal is to
accelerate economic growth by stimulating and supporting
business-led innovation. Sponsored by the Department for
Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), Innovate UK brings
together business, research and the public sector, supporting and
accelerating the development of innovative products and services
to meet market needs, tackle major societal challenges and help
build the future economy. For more information please visit
www.innovateuk.org