ABSTRACT

A study was carried out to evaluate performance of broiler chickens fed diets containing donkeys’ caecal meal (DCM) and donkeys’ blood meal (DBM). This study comprised 4 experiments. Experiment 1 was done to determine chemical composition of the test ingredients. Experiments 2, 3 and 4 evaluated growth performance, haematological indices, serum biochemistry, carcass characteristics, organ proportions of the broiler chickens as influenced by the diets containing the two test ingredients both individually and in combination, respectively. One hundred and fifty (150) day old Anak breeds were used for experiments 2, 3 and 4 respectively. These birds were randomly assigned to five diets in each experiment in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) consisting of three replicates with 10 birds per replicate. Five experimental diets were formulated for each of the three experiments. In experiment 2, diets was substituted with donkeys’ caecal content meal such that diet 1 (T1) served as control (0%) value. Diet 2 (T2) contains 2.5% DCM and diets 3, 4 and 5 (T3, T4 and T5) contained 5.0%, 7.5%, 10% DCM respectively. Experiment 3 was substituted with DBM at same levels as in experiment 2. Experimental 4 was substituted with (DBCM) at the ratio of 3:1 (caecal 3 parts and blood one part) and the content in each treatment diet were of the same level as in experiment 2. The experiment lasted for eight (8) weeks (56 days). The results of experiments 2, 3 and 4 revealed that birds fed diet (T2) had significantly (P<0.05) improved body weight gain (2396.00g), feed intake, superior feed conversion ratio than birds fed the control diet (0% of the test diets (2340.33g). Diet (T2) had highest (P<0.05) values in all the parameters, followed by diet T3 in the three experimental groups. The nutrient digestibility were (P<0.05) different in all parameters measured. The values obtained for haematological indices and serum biochemistry had (P<0.05) variations in all the parameters determined but were within normal established range for broiler chickens. The cut parts (30.10g) and organ weights (0.60g) indicated that there were (P<0.05) differences among the treatment groups. The higher (P<0.05) values obtained in revenue and gross margin of diets T2 - T4 than others. This is followed by diets T3 (5.0%) and T4 (7.5%). In conclusion, the diet T2 fed to the birds in experiment 2, 3, and 4 proved to be the best based on its superior performance over other diets fed to the birds, as it was expressed in growth performance, haematological indices, serum biochemistry and feed cost analysis. The DCM and DBM could be substituted up to 10%, but DBCM could be utilized up to 5.0% without any adverse effect.