Preliminary Observations On The Use Of Maize/ Sorghum Based Dried Brewer's Grains Fortified With Palm Oil For Finishing Broilers

Abstract

Production of beer based on maize and sorghum gives rise to a byproduct (brewer's grains) which appears less fibrous and more nutritious than the conventional barley-based by-product. Studies were conducted to determine its proximate composition and effect as broiler finisher diet when fortified with 8% palm oil, 3% bone meal and 0.25% of lysine, methionine, salt and trace mineral/vitamin premix, respectively. The maize/sorghum based dried brewer's grains so treated was compared with a conventional commercial broiler finisher diet in a 4-week feeding trial involving 6-week old broiler chicks of Anak breed. 

The maize/sorghum based dried brewers' grains contained 28.64%, 6.5%, 7.27%, 12.42% and 45.17% crude protein, fat, total ash, fibre and NFE, respectively. Fortified maize/sorghum based brewers’ grains supported weight gain for finisher broilers comparable to the control, the commercial finisher diet.