Performance and Carcass Analysis of Growing Snails Fed Calopogonium mucunoides (Calopo) And Pueraria phaseoloides (Kudzupuero)

Abstract

An experiment was carried out to determine the effect of feeding growing snails with two different leguminous plants, Calopogonium muculoides, Pueraria phaseoloides, using pawpaw (Carica papaya) leaf as control. A total of 72 growing snails (Archachatina marginata) of mean weight 74.73/3.5g were used for the feeding trial. The snails were randomly alloted into 3 different groups and each group was replicated 4 times with 6 snails per replicate in a completely randomized design. Snails in T₁ were fed pawpaw leaf (control), while snails in T₂ were fed Calopogolium muculoides. Parameters measured were feed intake, weight gain, shell length and width and feed conversion ratio. The feeding trial lasted for 12 weeks. The results on growth performances reveal that the highest feed intake was recorded in snails fed pawpaw leaf (PL) which was similar to the those fed Pueraria phaseoloids (PP), while the lowest feed intake was recorded in snail fed with Calopognium muculoids (CM). The highest weight gain was also recorded in snails fed with pawpaw leaf and Peuraria phaseoloids (PP) than those fed Calopognium muculoides (CM). In conclusion, Pueraria phaseoloids could be used as substitute for pawpaw leaf.