Nnadiebube Journal of Education

Cereal grains mainly corns are the conventional energy feed in poultry ration which constitute over 50% of the diet for the different classes of poultry. The rapid growth of human population has intensified the competition between man and livestock for cereals, resulting to high cost of the cereal grains and consequently high prices of poultry products leading to low levels of per capita poultry meat and egg consumption. Therefore, it is necessary to look for alternative and cheaper sources of feeds that can replace cereals to reduce cost of production and contribute to increased supply of animal protein at an affordable price. One such economical substitute feed for maize is cassava. This study was therefore centered to evaluate the performance of partially formulated/substituted cassava chips-based broiler finisher feed with commercial broiler finisher feed in poultry production in Umunze, Anambra State. Twenty (20) pieces of unsexed day-old chicks of sayed breed were procured and brooded for five (5) weeks in a controlled environment and later transferred to a rearing pen made of deep litter materials under intensive system of management. Twelve (12) birds that constituted the sample size of the study were randomly selected and divided into two (2) experimental dietary treatments T1 and T2 for each six (6) birds with four (4) replications R1, R2, R3 and R4 and five (5) birds per replicate in a completely randomized design (CRD) R1T2, R2T1, R3T2 and R4T1.The birds were fed adlibitum throughout the research period of twelve (12) weeks and measurement of performance parameters of the sampled birds taken and recorded on weekly basis. The result of the study showed that there were no significant relationships or differences between partially formulated/substituted cassava chips-based broiler finisher feed (T1) and commercial broiler finisher feed (T2). The result also showed that the birds fed with partially formulated/substituted cassava chips-based broiler finisher feed had greater feed conversion efficiency and economically cheaper than the commercial broiler finisher feed. Based on the results of performance parameters of the birds in this study, formulated/substituted cassava chip-based broiler finisher feed can completely replace cereal grains in broiler diets on energy feed ingredient in poultry production.

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