Effect of Replacing Maize with Boiled Taro Cocoyam (Colocasia esculenta(L) Schott) on the Performance of Grower Pigs

Abstract

Fourteen(14) grower pigs, crosses of Large white and Duroc were obtained from the University of Calabar teaching and research farm. The pigs were randomly allotted to three experimental diets. The diets consisted of taro cocoyam (Colocasia esculenta) at the rate of 0%, 50% and 100% as a replacement for maize. The objectives were to determine the effect of replacing maize with boiled taro cocoyam on the growth performance of grower pigs and also to determine the effect of boiling on the antinutritional factors in cocoyam otherwise known as toxicants. Among the antinutritional factors determined were phytate, oxalate, tannin and saponins. Other parameters measured were feed intake, body weight gain, feed efficiency and feed cost. The results obtained showed that there were no much differences (p>0.05) among the treatments in body weight gain, feed intake, feed efficiency and feed cost. The values were more or less the same. However, there were slight differences among the treatments but the difference among the treatments were not significant (p>0.05) except in feed intake and feed cost.Moreover, it was discovered that boiling reduced the level of antinutritional factors in cocoyam when compared with that of unboiled cocoyam. It is therefore, concluded that boiled taro cocoyam can replace maize completely without adverse effect on the growth performance of pigs.