Research Article
Olusiyi JA, Yusuf HB, Zaklag D
Abstract
The benefits/economy of production of using Rice Milling Residue (RMR) to replaced Wheat Offal (WO) as a fibre source in broiler chicken diets were evaluated in an eight (8) weeks feeding trials. A total of three hundred (300) day old Anak white strain unsexed broiler chicks which were randomly allocated to five (5) dietary treatments of sixty (60) birds per treatment and replicated three (3) times with twenty (20) birds per replicate in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD). Five experimental diets formulated with RMR replacing WO at 0%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% designated as treatments T1, T2, T3, T4, and T5 respectively. The Average Daily Feed Intake (ADFI), Average Daily Weight Gain (ADWG) ad Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR) were not significantly different (P>0.05) across all dietary treatments. Results showed that T3 recorded the highest cost of feed intake (N773.73) per bird/kg and almost the least weight gained while T5 recorded the least feed intake (N712.72) per bird/kg and the highest weight gained (1.89 g) per bird/kg. The cost saving was better in T5 (N38.01) saved for every kilogram (kg) of feed formulated and least in T3 (- N34.52) meaning a loss or spending N34.52 above the control treatment over every kg of feed formulated. Revealing that it is of great economic benefit to replace WO with RMR as a fibre source up to 100% inclusion level.