Animal Feed

Recent studies by BTWM have confirmed duckweed's potential as a valuable high-protein, vitamin-rich feed supplement. A hectare of pond surface with duckweed yields as much as 30 tonnes of dry matter or approximately 12 tonnes of protein per annum. This protein is, by FAO standards, of very high quality for feeding to animals (or human beings).Experiments show that the quality of this protein for ducks and hens is similar to that in soybean meal. As protein is currently priced at $1,000 per tonne as a stock-feed ingredient, the protein yield of a hectare of duckweed is worth in the order of $12,000 per annum.

Although inexpensive to produce, duckweed contains a range of vitamins, pigments and minerals. These include those normally added to dietary formulations for livestock such as poultry and pigs in the form of commercial mineral-vitamin premixes.Duckweed has particular value as a poultry feed. It typically contains high concentrations of calcium (which is required in the diet of laying hens) equal to 10-25 g/kg dry matter.

As a further bonus, duckweed contains relatively large amounts of xanthophylls and carotene, which impart a rich yellow/orange colour to the egg yolks. In comparison, the synthetic yolk pigments usually included in mineral-vitamin premixes for layers are a costly component of commercial poultry diets.