Effect of Feeding Graded Levels of Adansonia digitata (Tebaldi) Seed Cake on the Performance of Broiler Chicks

Abstract

The study was designed to determine the effects of feeding graded levels of Adansonia digitata (Tebaldi) seed cake on the performance of broiler chicks. One week old, two hundred unsexed broiler chicks of the Ross 308 strain were randomly allotted to four treatments in a 4x5x10 arrangement. Four experimental broiler rations, semi-isocaloric semi-isonitrogenous, were formulated with ascending levels of A. digitata seed cake replacing performed total crude protein content of the diet percentage-wise as 0, 5, 10, and 15% and designated as rations A, B, C, and D respectively with ration A serving as the control. Experimental feeding was continued for 42 days on an ad-libitum basis, allowing for an initial adaptation feeding period of one week. The first three days of this adaptation used the pre-starter ration, then four days on the control diet before feeding the experimental rations. Data collected included daily feed intake (g), body weight (g), calculated protein intake and efficiency, energy intake (Mcal ME /Kg), and feed conversion ratio. An economic appraisal was run for the experiment. The highest daily feed intake (106.30), live weight gain (60.50), improved feed conversion ratio (01.70), highest cold carcass weight (02.44), and dressing percentage (66.10) were recorded by group B (5% Tebaldi) compared to the other groups. Group C (10% Tebaldi) gave the highest profitability, 97.22%. Adansonia digitata seed cake can be fed to broiler chicks up to 10% of the ration without adverse effects on the performance and with maximized profitability ratios of 1.3 -1.7 over the control. Keywords: Adansonia digitata seed cake, Broiler chickens, Feed conversion ratio, Growth performance, Carcass yield