SEVENTH – DAY PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF BROILER CHICKS FED STARTER DIETS CONTAINING PALM KERNEL SHELL ASH AS A MINERAL SUPPLEMENT IN BROILER RATION

Abstract

The seventh day performance evaluation was carried out to determine the effect of partial replacement of bone ash with palm kernel shell ash (PKSA) supplementation on broilers. Ninety-six Arbor Acre Day old chicks were randomly assigned in triplicates of eight birds per replicate to four experimental diets containing graded levels of PKSA at 0, 5, 10 and 15kg/ton of feed respectively. At the seventh day of life, a bird from each replicate was randomly selected and assessed for performance, Results obtained showed that there were statistical differences across the treatment groups in almost all parameters except in the FCR. Therefore, the seventh day performance data as an indicator could be used to determine the value of a feedstuff at the early stages of broiler feeding to determine its continued or optimal inclusion levels in feed formulations.