ABSTRACT

 A 28 day feeding tiial involving ninety (90), four - week old Anak broiler chicks was conducted to evaluate the growth performance and carcass characteristics of broiler finishers fed bambara groundnut offal based diet supplemented with roxazyme G, enzyme. The broilers were assigned to three treatment groups of 30 birds per treatment and 10 birds per replicate > in a completely ■ randomized design. The chicks were l.cd diets containing bambara groundnut offal (BGO) at 0% and without enzyme supplementation (diet 1) and 20% BGO without enzyme supplementation (diet 2)and 20% BGO with enzyme supplementation(diet 3). The parameters evaluated were the proximate composition, growth performance and economics of production, carcass and organ characteristics of broiler finishers fed the diets. The results of the experiment showed that bambara groundnut oflal contain moderate crude protein level of 19.42%, low crude fibre level of 8.52%. Significant differences (!’• 0.05) were observed in average daily feed intake, dressing percentage, large and small intestine, head and feed cost/bird of the birds. The daily feed intake ofthe birds fed diet 2 (20% BGO without enzymes) (149.60g) was significantly higher (P<0.05) than the control diet (142.43g) but similar to birds fed diets 3 (20% BGO with enzyme) (145.09g). Birds fed diet 3 had similar (P<0.05) daily feed intake to those fed control diet. Dressing percentage was significantly higher (P<0.05) in birds fed the control diet (67.19%) than the birds fed diet 3 (BGO with enzyme supplementation) (59.81%). However, birds fed diet 2 (BGO without enzyme) (64.61%) and diet 3 (BGO with enzyme) (59.81%) had comparable (P> 0.05) dressing percentage. The small and large intestine were significantly higher (P<0.05) in birds fed diet 3 compared to the other diets. No significant differences (P>0.05) were observed on live weight at slaughter (1.45kg), (1 25kg) and (1.31kg), final live weight (1290.00g), (1300g) and (1246.67g), average daily weight gain (27.50g), (27.85g) and (25.95g), and feed conversion ratio (5.19g), (5.43g) and (5.64g) of the birds, fed diets 1, 2 and 3 respectively. Enzyme supplementation of BGO diets significantly (P<0.905) improved performance of the birds, with reduced cost of feed/bird. Supplementation of BGO based diets with roxazyme G. (enzyme) resulted in cheaper feed cost/ bird and reduced cost of feed per kilogramme weight gain over the control diet. The feed cost/bird were (N950.88), (N805.57) and (N778.42) foi birds fed diet 1, 2, and 3 respectively. The results of this feeding trial suggest that bambara groundnut offal could be incorporated in broiler finisher ratio at 20% level with enzyme supplementation, without any adverse effect on performance and carcass characteristics of finisher birds.