ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Frustration and unfulfilment awaits a vision and ambition without a motivator, but a little encouragement and idea brings out the best in an individual. Obviously, numbers of people have been used by God to make this report work a success. Based on this, I wish to express my sincere will deserve gratitude and appreciation to them. Truly some contributed directly and others indirectly to the success of this report.
Frustration and unfulfilment awaits a vision and ambition without a motivator, but a little encouragement and idea brings out the best in an individual. Obviously, numbers of people have been used by God to make this report work a success. Based on this, I wish to express my sincere will deserve gratitude and appreciation to them. Truly some contributed directly and others indirectly to the success of this report.
ABSTRACT
This
trial to assess the quality of two broilers feed types: commercial feed and
homemade feed, was conducted to determine their nutrient content, growth rates
and feed efficiency of broiler birds. Fifty-six day old chicks were used for
the experiment. The chicks were divided into two groups, commercial feed; 28
birds and homemade feed; 28 birds. The birds were reared in two separate pens
at the Poultry Unit of Teaching and Research Farm of the Department of Animal
Science, Ebonyi State University for 56 days. The live weight gain and feed
efficiency were better in birds fed commercial feed as compared to birds fed
homemade feed.
The parameters measured were as follows. The average initial
body weight for commercially fed birds and homemade fed birds were 122.5 and
120, average final body weight for commercially fed birds and homemade fed
birds were 2800 and 2025, average total weight gain for commercially fed birds
and homemade fed birds were 2657 and 1905, average weekly weight gain for
commercially fed bird and homemade fed bird were 332.19 and 237.81, average
daily weight gain for commercially fed bird and homemade fed bird were 47.46
and 34.02, average total feed intake for commercially fed bird and homemade fed
birds were 6795 and 6611.5, average weekly feed intake for commercially fed
birds and homemade fed birds were 849.38 and 826.44, average daily feed intake
for commercially fed birds and homemade fed birds were 121.34 and 118.06, and
the feed conversion ratio for commercially fed birds and homemade fed birds
were 2.56 and 3.48 respectively. The two-sample t-test suggests that there is a
significant difference (p<0.05) between the two treatment birds. This
suggests that commercial feed is of high quality than homemade feed. This is
due to high crude protein content, good feeding value, and overall quality of
commercial feed when compared to homemade feed.
CHAPTER ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
Poultry and other livestock feeding is expensive as it
takes 65-75% of the total cost of production (Tewe and Kasali, 1986). This is
so because of the high cost of conventional feed resources like maize, soybean,
groundnut cake that are used in producing animal feed (Amaefule and Obioha,
2005). Maize most often, constitutes the highest proportion of ingredient in
the diet formulation of any poultry ration (Agbede et al., 2002). This high
inclusion rate translates into high cost of feed because of seasonality of
maize production and competition for it by man and livestock (Agbede et al., 2002).
Preston (1995) reported that one of the major
challenges to researchers in the tropic is providing alternative feed resources
for monogastrics.
According to Okoye (2002), poultry production in
Nigeria is affected by high cost of feedstuffs. Shittu et al., (2004) stated that although some alternative feed resources
have been discovered to be useful but that there is need to have adequate
knowledge of them and their composition. One of the potential alternative
feedstuffs is cassava, a wonder plant with all its parts useful in feeding
poultry and livestock (Tewe and Manner, 1977). Cassava is a major source of low
cost carbohydrates for populations in the
humid
tropics. The fleshy root is consumed, while the peels which accounts for between
10-13% of the tuber by weight (Tewe et al.,
1997) is left to rot away in refuse dumps. A lot of research works have been
done to define the optimum level of cassava in animal diet and to modify the
plant’s chemical and physical properties that restrict its use (Montilla et al., 1976). Cassava peel meal, an
alternative feed resource as energy source has potential that can be exploited.
However, as cassava ration contains cyanide, the cassava peel meal has to be
treated in order to enhance its utilization as a substitute for maize in feed
formulation of poultry rations. Much of the research works done to date on the
use of cassava and other agro-industrial by-products and their wastes for
monogastrics have concentrated on their utilization in terms of growth and production
levels (Agunbiade et al., 2001) with
limited data on the characterization of the energy values of these valuable
ingredients.
Another potential alternative
feedstuffs with high nutrient potential is the bambara seed (Vigna Subterranean (L) verdc) offal. The
bambaranut (seed) is an under-utilized tropical legume that is indigenous to
Africa. It grows in areas where the cultivation of other legumes such as
groundnut is too risky due to poor soil conditions or there is threat of drought.
It yields as much as 3-5 tons/hectare under this condition (Bamford, 1984).
Oyenuga (1982) and Uwuegbute (1978) described Bambaranut as a legume crop which
contains higher crude protein than many other legume grains andtherefore
recommend its incorporation in livestock feeds. Carbohydrates accounts for
approximately 45% of the total dry seed weight and has a lipid content of 6-8%
(Poulter, 1981). Bambara seed offal is a sievate after extracting the flour for
human use and it has no industrial use. The supplementation of enzyme and other
probiotics are known to improve the digestibility and utilization of feed
ingredients by livestock thereby increasing productivity (Silva et al., 2000).
Also another potential feedstuff is
maize-chaff. Maize is a cereal crop that is grown widely throughout the world
and generally consumed by Nigerians than any other grains (IITA, 2009). It can
be eaten after cooking or smoking and can also be converted into animal feeds.
The wastes of maize which are left behind after harvest include the husks,
chaff, stalks and the leaves (Oseni and Ekperigin 2007). Maize chaff constitute
of 25.55% moisture content, 1.03% ash, 3.72% fibre, 0.61% protein, 1.43% fat
and 75.85% carbohydrate (Oseni and Ekperigin 2007).
The conventional feedstuffs, maize,
groundnut, and soybeans are also used as major human food and industrial raw
materials. Maize is a multi purpose farm product in Nigeria serving not only as
staple food for a large proportion of Nigerians but also as a major raw
materials for the beer brewing industries among others. Consequently, the
quantities required have become difficult to source and when available, prices
are very prohibitive. Soybean meal has been reported to be scarce and expensive
while groundnut cake has been reported to have aflatoxins (MC Donald et al., 1998). Agunbiade et al., (2002a) reported that in order
for the unconventional feed resources to be utilized with great economic
efficiency, knowledge of the dietary energy value must be obtained.
To ameliorate this high cost of feed,
there is need for research into utilization of farm wastes which are readily
available and affordable to reduce the feed cost and increase production.
OBJECTIVES
1. To
compare the growth performance of broilers fed commercial and home made feed.
2. To
determine the economy of production of the broilers fed with the diets.
1.2 JUSTIFICATION
OF THE STUDY
Poultry production in Nigeria has been facing lots of
problems particularly high cost of production arising from ever increasing
costs of feeds. The price of conventional feedstuffs is increasing daily due to
high demand (Omole, 2011). The conventional feedstuffs, maize, groundnuts, and soybeans
are also used as major human food and industrial raw materials. Maize is a
multi purpose farm product in Nigeria serving not only as staple food for a
large proportion of Nigerians but also as a major raw material for the beer
brewing industries among others. Consequently, theprices of these conventional
feedstuffs have become difficult to source and when available prices are very
prohibitive. Most of the
unconventional feedstuffs consists of anti-nutrients that are potentially
harmful and gives rise to a genuine concern for human and animal health in that
they prevent digestion and absorption of nutrients, they may not be toxic as
such, but can reduce the nutritional value of the feedstuffs causing a
deficiency in essential nutrients (Prathibha et al., 1995). For instance, cassava and some other plants, have
anti-nutritional factors like cyanogenic glycosides, saponin, phytate, oxalate,
enzyme inhibitors and total alkaloids.
This has brought about the quest
to search for an alternative feed stuffs which are readily available and
affordable to reduce the feed cost and increase production.