Effect of dietary energy and protein on performance of guinea fowl reared in the humid tropics of Nigeria

Abstract

The effects of varying levels of energy and protein on optimal performance of helmeted guinea fowl and carcass characteristics were investigated. Three hundred and twenty-four 7-week old guinea fowls were randomly allotted to treatments in a 3x3 factorial arrangement of a Completely Randomized Design. The birds were respectively assigned to the experimental diets of 10.46MJ, 10.87 and 11.29kcal of ME/kg diet with a corresponding protein content of 15, 16, and 17% CP. They were fed these diets from 7 to 12 weeks of age. Each dietary treatment had four replicates of 27 birds per replicate. Feed and water were provided adlibitum. The birds were observed for feed consumption, weight gain, final weight, water consumption and mortality. There were significant (P<0.05) energy x protein interaction effect for the average final weight with birds on 10.87MJ/kg x 15%CP for FW and also for energy x protein main effects for FI, WI and WG. There were significant (P<0.05) energy main effects and energy x protein interaction for gizzard weight, back weight and breast weight with constant energy levels of 10.87MJ/kg ME and 10.46MJ/kg ME at their interaction level. Birds on 1 1.29MJ/kg ME x 15CP and 1 1.29MJ/kg ME x 17%CP gave the heaviest gizzard of 922.66 and 19.09 and in other parameters, except in Neck weight which shows no significant (p<0.05) energy and protein as well as the energy x protein interaction. But there were significant energy main effect and no significant protein main effects for wing weight as well as significant differences (p<0.05) energy and protein main effects on total dressed with 10.887MLkg ME x 17%CP gave the highest value of 717.22g. There was also a significant (p<0.05) interaction effects on average live weight with 1 1.29MJ/kg ME x 15%CP diet gave the highest value of 1.48kg/bird. The findings from this study that 10.87 MJ/kg ME and 15%Cp diet gave the best performance.