DIGESTIBILITY OF CRUDE PROTEIN AND CRUDE FIBRE BY BROILER FINISHER CHICKENS FED DRIED GROUNDNUT HUSK MEAL-BASED DIETS SUPPLEMENTED WITH HEMICELLULASE AND DRENCHED WITH CITRIC ACID IN WATER

Abstract

A total of 90 one-day old ROSS 308 broiler chickens were allotted to five dietary treatments having three replicates of 6 birds each in a completely randomized design. The birds were used to investigate the digestibility of crude protein (CP) and crude fibre (CF) by broiler finisher chickens fed dried groundnut husk meal (DGHM)-based diets supplemented with hemicellulase and drenched with citric acid in water. Between days 43 and 45 post-hatch, samples of fresh excreta were collected once daily. On day 46, 4 birds per treatment were slaughtered and dissected to obtain digesta from the distal two-third of the ileum. Five experimental finisher diets were formulated which replaced maize at 0% (control, T1), 5% DGHM (T2), 10% DGHM (T3), 15% DGHM (T4) and 20% DGHM (T5). Ileal CP and apparent CP digestibility were not influenced (P>0.05) by feeding DGHM-based diets. Digested CP and retained CP were significantly (P<0.05) higher in birds on T5. Apparent CP retention significantly (P<0.05) increased in T5 as compared to birds on the control diets. Ileal crude fibre (CF), excreta CF and apparent CF digestibility of birds were not significantly (P>0.05) different across the treatments while digested and retained CF decreased significantly (P<0.05) across all the treatments. Apparent CF retention increased significantly (P<0.05) in T4 and T5. Therefore, digestibility of crude protein and crude fibre by broiler chickens fed d DGHM-based diets supplemented with hemicellulase and drenched with citric acid in water improved digested CP, retained CP, apparent CP retention and apparent CF retention in broiler chickens.