THE EFFECTS OF ENSILAGE ON THE NUTRITIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF POULTRY WASTE - CARBOHYDRATE MIXTURE AS LIVESTOCK FEED

Abstract

In a laboratory study, the results of ensiling caged layer poultry waste with carbohydrate source to enhance its usefulness as feed ingredient for livestock were reported. Poultry waste (20%) mixed with cassava or sorghum flour was ensiled in test-tube silos and sampled at intervals during a 14-day storage period. In both mixtures, the dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP) and pH values were significantly. in Nigeria, poultry waste was affected (P<0.05) with time after ensiling. The DM values were higher (P<0.05) on day 10 than on day 0,5 or 14. The poultry waste-sorghum mixture increased in CP level (P<0.05) from 8.0% on day O to 9.1% on day 14 while in the  cassava mixture CP increased from 7.0% on day  7.6% on day 10. There was a drop in pH from 6.4 to 4.6 in both mixtures at the end of the storage period. The results showed that ensiling cassava or sorghum flour with poultry waste enriched the nitrogen content of the mixture thereby enhancing its usefulness  as livestock feed.