Chaya seems to be a catalyst

#1

It seems to me that chaya has feed value that goes beyond the normal nutritional components. That is, it seems to function as a catalyst for animal diet. Not sure that is possible but when feeding a small amount of chaya to our sheep, our other feed products go further….accomplish more. I am wondering if chaya may have some sort of enzymic action in the digestion process that allows animals to make greater use of their regular feed….which for us is tall grass and tree leaves.

The reason I suspect it is more of a “catalyst" than a feed is because we don’t feed enough of it to make a nutritional difference. It makes up less than .001% of their diet but it makes a noticeable difference.

It seems to me that growing even a small amount of chaya in feed deprived areas could be a way to extend/expand the feed value of the limited feed that is available.

Curious if others have observed that phenomena.

#2

Thanks, for the question and background.

I can say that chaya meal is an excellent plant-based protein source that is under-utilized globally. Chaya meal is affordable unlike other protein meals used in animal and aquaculture feeds. The nutrient value is comparable to others as the amino acid digestibility is an important factor in feed.

I will provide some scholarly articles on Chaya meal below for further reviewing.

Hopefully this helps.

Sarmiento-Franco, L., McNab, J. M., Pearson, A., & Belmar-Casso, R. (2003). The effect of chaya (Cnidoscolus aconitifolius) leaf meal and of exogenous enzymes on amino acid digestibility in broilers. British Poultry Science, 44(3), 458–463. https://doi.org/10.1080/00071660310001598256

Donkoh, A., Atuahene, C. C., Poku-Prempeh, Y. B., & Twum, I. G. (1999). The nutritive value of chaya leaf meal (Cnidoscolus aconitifolius (Mill.) Johnston) studies with broiler chickens. Animal Feed Science and Technology, 77(1–2), 163–172. Redirecting

Khieokhajonkhet, A., Ngoenthong, W., Inyawilert, W., Aeksiri, N., Kaneko, G., Ratanasut, K., & Phromkunthong, W. (2024). Assessment of chaya meal (Cnidoscolus chayamansa) as an alternative feed ingredient for Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus): Growth performance, hematology, histology, growth- and appetite-related gene expression. Aquaculture, 593. Redirecting

#3

David, thanks for sharing that info. Those articles are interesting however, they are looking at chaya as a feed source and particularly as a protein source. That is a different issue.

We are feeding far less than .001% of their diet in chaya. So, the amount of protein is totally insignificant. In fact at that low level, there is no measurable feed value in terms of protein, energy, etc. Yet they gain weight and produce milk with less feed better with a small amount of chaya in their diet.

At that low level, it’s value seems to be more like a vitamin…which I understand function something like a catalyst. That could be significant to those with very limited feed resources.

Just to be clear, I am not suggesting the value is the vitamins it may contain. Our sheep receive vitamins and minerals from other sources. I am suggesting that it functions similarly to a vitamin…instead of as a normal food source like protein or energy.

Bottom line: maybe this could be a way for those with insufficient feed supplies that by adding .001% of chaya to their diet, could reduce the amount of needed feed significantly. As well all know, during droughts, it is not unusual for animals to receive only half rations of feed. Maybe with a tiny amount of chaya, those half rations might allow for less weight loss.

#4

Since we I’ve been talking this year about planting chaya in our fence as a way of having more fodder during the dry season, I’ve noticed our neighbor’s cattle doing better.

In the surrounding area there are farmers who move their hungry cows down the road periodically in search of something for them to eat. When they pass our farm, the cows eat some of the chaya growing in our fence. I’ve noticed this year during the drought season those cows are in better condition than they were in the previous years. Obviously this is only anecdotal evidence that chaya even in extremely small amounts has a disproportionately large benefit.
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Cow Chaya
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#5

Greetings Glen,

This sounds like a very interesting hypothesis. Have you considered doing a simple randomized control trial to see if you observation is correct? If what you observed is reproducible, it could make a big difference to poor farmers who can’t afford commercial animal feeds.

Joel

#6

Hopefully someone with more time than I have can do a study of the idea. Maybe posting it here will spawn interest by a group looking for a study project. Or, maybe someone has already done a study that someone in this group can dig up. If they do, hopefully they will share.

Hopefully someone into deep AI searching will find a study on the topic. However, I am more of a “Seeing is believing” kind of guy and I’ve seen enough that we are doing it.

#7

Thank you for this information. I raise goats in Honduras and am searching for other alternatives for feeding. Currently am using Napier, Mexican sunflower, and other browse they get from native plants. I supplement with bought corn and soy meal. I would like to eventually get away from these imported inputs, both from a food security standpoint and from a health perspective (cheap gmo grains). So this is something I will research. But I need to find Chaya here first.

Anyone here in Honduras who knows of a source for getting starts?

Lorenzo

#8

I imagine (but not sure) that Larry Smoak who lives south of La Ceiba would have some. I can send you his email address if you are interested.