ABSTRACT

A feeding trial was carried out to determine the moisture, ammonia levels, pungency and faecal microbes of starter broiler chickens fed diet containing Menacid®. They were fed with diets treated with three (3) different inclusion levels of Menacid® at the starter phase. A total of 90 day old chicks were used for the study. Three experimental diets were fortified with Menacid® at three levels of Omg, 0.5mg and 0.8mg per kilogram and designated as Tl, T2 and T3 respectively. Each diet was allocated to a group of 30 birds and each treatment was divided into three (3) replicates with ten (10) birds per replicate in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD). The three treatment groups were placed in three different pens where they were replicated. Experimental diets and water were supplied ad libitum to the birds. The trial lasted for 4 weeks. Samples ofthe droppings was collected weekly to evaluate the moisture, ammonia and microbial content. Also, pungency levels of the three treatment groups was evaluated weekly. The result showed that fecal moisture was significantly (p<0.05) reduced as the inclusion level ofMenacid® increased in diet 2 (77.01%) and diet 3 (73.04%) ofweek 1. Week 2 reduced numerically across the diets. While in week 3 the moisture also reduced significantly (p<0.05) in diet 1(75.87%), diet 2 (73.06%) and diet 3 (71.42%) respectively. The ammonia content were significantly (p<0.05) reduced with increase in inclusion level of Menacid® across the treatment groups. The Total Viable Counts (TVC), Coliforms and Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) were mainly numerically different, however, TVC weekl and LAB week 2 were significantly different (p<0.05). The pungency level reduced with increase in the inclusion level of Menacid®. This study showed the significant reduction in Moisture, Ammonia and Pungency with increase in Menacid® inclusion level. However, there is need to further increase the inclusion level of Menacid® to properly ascertain its effect on coliforms and LAB in the faeces.