ABSTRACT

 An investigation into the replacement value oftiger nut seed meal as substitute for maize in diets of broiler chickens was studied. Five different diets were formulated such that tiger nut replaced maize at 0% (Ti), 25% (T2), 50% (T3), 75% (T4), 100% (T5) respectively in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD). The control diet (Tl) contained no tiger nut. One Hundred and Fifty day-old broiler chicks procured from the University Poultry Unit was used for the experiment to determine the feed intake, weight gain, and body weight gain changes, feed conversion ratio, carcass cut parts and organ proportion in a 49-day trial. The broiler chicks were arranged into 5 dietary treatment, each containing 3 replicate with 30 birds per dietary treatment and 10 birds per replicate. Result indicated that the control diet did not vary from the test diets in proximate composition. The crude fat, crude fiber and metabolizable energy portrayed an increasing trend whereas, the crude protein, ash and nitrogen free extract portrayed a decreasing trend as the level ofthe tiger nut increased. The experimental diets showed no statistical difference in final weight (FW), average body weight (ABW),daily weight gain (DWG), daily feed intake (DFI), Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR) and percent mortality. Final weight was abnormally low in T3 (1116.43g), but highest in T4 (1578.89g) and declined again in T5 (1419.05g). the decline in T3 was attributed to possible effect of non dietary factors whereas, that of T5 may be connected with fiber and anti-nutritional factors. T4 and T5 recorded highest feed intake (172.06g/day) inspite oftheir higher metablizable energy value (3028.00 and 3065.OOkj ME) respectively; thus, implicating the crude fiber whose dilution effect on T4 and T5 elicited more intake inorder for the birds to attain their energy requirement. The test treatment increased FCR above that of the control.T3 recorded highest FCR (6.28) accompanied with high mortality percent (23.81) which maybe due to the effect of the diet, particularly the fiber content. DFI, FCR, and percent mortality increased with increased level ofthe tiger nut disregarding the abnormality in T3. Final weight, ABW and DWG increased optimally to the 75% level disregarding the abnormal values in T3. The carcass cut parts shows significant effects of dietary treatment on the thigh and breast weight but none in live weight, dressed weight, dressed percent, head, shank, neck, drumstick, wings and back cut weight. The 100% level performed better than the control in carcass cut parts. However, for optimum performance, T4 (75%) may be more acceptable considering its highest dressed percent (79.86) though not significantly different from others. Dietary treatment affected the liver, proventriculus, kidney, large intestine. T3 was most significant in liver, proventriculus, kidney, large intestine, and together with T2 and T4, in heart weight. In spite of this qbservation, T3 recorded the least body weight and poorest FCR values, which suggest that the higher sizes of these organs are signs of inflammation. The effect of fiber in decreasing proventriculus and increasing kidney weights were not observed in this study. T4 is recommended in this study as it recorded lowest values in mortality and FCR and highest value in FW, ABW, DWG, dressed weight in addition to kidney and proventicular weight which compared well with the control showing better utilization offiber at this level.