EFFECTS OF CHARCOAL IN DIETS CONTAINING FALSE YAM (Icacina oliviformis) TUBER MEAL ON GROWTH PERFORMANCE OF BROILER CHICKENS

Abstract

Two experiments were conducted concurrently to determine the effects of charcoal incorporation at 3 and 6% in diets containing 5%sun-dried false yam tuber meal (SDFYTM) and 15%soaked false yam tuber meal (SFYTM) on growth performance and carcass characteristics of broiler chickens, and a digestibility trial to determine nutrient digestibility of the experimental diets. False yam tubers were peeled, diced with some sun-dried and milled for a feeding trial in Experiment 1. The other diced tubers were soaked in water, sun-dried, milled, for a feeding trial in Experiment 2. Wood charcoal was crushed into flour and incorporated in diets containing false yam tuber meals in both experiments. Experiment 1 involved the addition of 3 and 6% charcoal in diets containing 5%SDFYTM; whilst Experiment 2 involved the addition of 3and 6% charcoal in diets containing15%SFYTM. Both experiments lasted for five (5) weeks. At 4weeks of age, a total of 96female chicks (Cobb strains) were selected at random and divided into 16 groups of 6birds each in each experiment. Each experiment comprised of four dietary treatments of treated false yam tuber meal (Control diet with no charcoal and false yam, and false yam-based diets with 0%, 3% and 6% charcoal). Each diet was replicated four times in a Completely Randomized Design. Parameters measured included mean feed intake, weight gain, gain-feed ratio, dressing percentage of carcass, haematology and serology. Data collected were analysed by ANOVA. Results of Experiment 1 indicated that broiler chickens fed SDFYTM diets at 5% showed no differences (P>0.05) interms of feed intake, weight gain, gain-feed ratio and dressing percentage of carcass. The findings of this experiment indicated that SDFYTM at 5% can replace maize in diets of broiler chickens without any adverse effects on their growth performance. In Experiment 2, broiler chickens fed the 15%SFYTM diets significantly (P<0.05) affected their growth performance. The addition of the wood charcoal (at 3 and 6%) in both false yam tuber meal broiler chicken diets, in the two experiments, failed to attenuate the anti-nutritional factors in the false yam tuber.