Comparative Evaluation of Composite Cassava Root Meal, Palm Oil and Crayfish Waste Mixture as Substitute for Maize in Broiler Chicken Diet

Aim: To investigate the response of broiler chickens to diets containing levels of composite cassava root meal, palm oil and Cray fish dust (CCPCM) as replacement for maize.

Study Design: The experiment involved five treatments with three replicates per treatment in each of starter and finisher phases in a Completely Randomized Design.

Place and Duration of Study: The study was carried out in the Teaching and Research Farm of the University of Calabar, Nigeria, between September 2014 and December, 2014.

Methodology: Three hundred (300) one week old unsex broiler chicks were randomly allotted to five dietary treatments consisting of three replicates of 20 birds each. The control diet (T1) contained 56% maize which was replaced with 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% of CCPCM to form T2, T3, T4 and T5 respectively. The mixture was in such that it insinuates the maize in Crude Protein and Metabolisable energy (Iso-nitrogenous and Iso-Calorie). After 21 day of feeding the experimental meal, two hundred and forty of the birds were further re- randomized into 5 dietary treatments of three replicates. The control diet (T1) contained 60% maize and was replaced with 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% of CCPCM. The diets were all made to be iso-nitrogenous and iso-caloric.

Results: The final live weight (FLW), weight gain (WG) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) did not vary significantly with the control up to 50% at starter phase and up to 75% at finisher phase but above this levels they showed significant (P=0.05) depression. Feed intake at starter phase were significantly (P=0.05) affected only at above 50% replacement of maize with CCPCM while At the finisher phase the feed intake were not significantly affected by the levels of CCPCM in the diets. Cost of feed per kg decreased while cost of feed per kg live weight gain increased (P=0.05) with increasing level of CCPCM up to 75% inclusion level.

Conclusion: It was concluded that 50% and 75% CCPCM could replace maize in broiler starter and finisher diets respectively.