Growth Performance Characteristics of Broiler Chickens Fed Graded Levels of Sundried Cassava (Manihot esculenta) Peel Meal Based Diet

Abstract

An eight-week feeding trial was conducted at the Poultry Unit of the Teaching and Research Farm, Ambrose Alli University Ekpoma to evaluate the growth performance of broiler chickens fed varying levels of sun-dried cassava peel meal based diet. A total of one hundred and twenty day-old Anak 2000 broiler chicks were used for this experiment. Forty chicks were randomly selected based on their average initial weights to each of the four treatment diets. (T1 to T4) With T1 serving as the control and T2 to T4 having an inclusion level of Sundried cassava peel meal (SDCPM) at 20, 40, and 60% replacement levels for maize respectively in a complete randomized design (CRD). The chicks were brooded and fed for four weeks with commercial starter diet. After that they were fed formulated finisher diets for four weeks. The result of the performance study showed that all the performance parameters assayed in this study were significantly (P<0.05) influenced by the treatments diets apart from feed conversion ratio. Final live weight was significantly higher (2.86kg/bird) among birds fed 20% SDCPM. Daily and weekly feed intake were higher (120.00 g/bird) and (0.80 kg/bird) in birds fed control comparable to those (116.00 g/bird) and (0.78 kg/bird) fed 20% SDCPM. Daily and Weekly weight gain was higher significantly (P<0.05) in birds that ate 20% SDCPM (47.21 g/bird) and (0.37 kg/bird).feed conversion ratio was similar (P>0.05) but least and best value (2.11) was recorded among birds fed 20% SDCPM. The overall result of this study showed that sun-dried cassava peel meal could successfully be included in broiler ration up to 20% level without any adverse effect on the performance of broiler chickens.