PERFORMANCE, ORGAN DEVELOPMENT AND ILEAL MICROBIAL POPULATION OF BROILER CHICKS FED HIGH QUALITY CASSAVA PEEL (HQCP) SUPPLEMENTED WITH YEAST
Keywords:
HQCP, yeast supplementation, broiler chicks, ileal microbes, performanceAbstract
Ninety-six (96) day old Ross 308 chicks were used to investigate the effect of High-Quality Cassava Peel (HQCP) diet supplemented with yeast; on their performance, organ measurement and ileal microbial population at 0-3 weeks. The chicks were randomly allocated to four dietary treatments with three replicates each. Treatment 1 had 0 % HQCP and 0g yeast Treatment 2 had 0 %HQCP and 0.1% yeast, Treatment 3 had 15.12 % HQCP and 0% yeast, and Treatment 4 was 15.12% HQCP and 0.1% yeast. Treatment 3 and 4 had HQCP levels to replace 28% of the maize content in the control diet (Treatment 1). The result showed that there was a significant difference (p<0.005) in feed intake, body weight gain, feed conversion ratio (FCR) and organ measurement but none (p>0.005) on ileal microbial population. Birds fed T1 and T3 diets had the highest feed intake, 5.10kg and 4.27kg, respectively while birds fed T1 and T4 had highest body weight gain (4.97kg and 4.13kg, respectively). Lowest FCR (0.84) was recorded for birds fed HQCP and 0.1g of yeast, same birds also had highest microbial population (101,000 cfu). Birds fed HQCP and yeast benefited from the yeast supplementation at 0-3 weeks.