PERFORMANCE OF FINISHER BROILER CHICKENS FED DIETS CONTAINING GRADED LEVELS OF DECORTICATED RAW SANDBOX (Hura crepitans) SEEDS AS ORGANIC SOURCE OF METHIONINE

Abstract

One hundred and twenty (120) four-week old broiler chickens were used in a feeding trial to investigate the performance of finisher broiler chickens fed diets with graded levels of sandbox seeds (SBS) as source of methionine. Four diets were formulated such that DI, D2, D3 and D4 respectively contained 0.2% DL-methionine + 0%SBS, 0.1% DL-methionine + 2% SBS, 0.05% DL-methionine + 4% SBS and 0% DL-methionine + 6% SBS as source of methionine. Data were collected on feed intake, final weight and weight gain while feed conversion ratio was calculated. Data were subjected to one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) while treatments’ means were separated using Duncan Multiple Range test. Results showed that SBS-supplemented diets were not significantly (P>0.05) different in their effects on feed intake while diet D2 (0.1% DL-methionine+ 2% SBS) was also not significantly different from the control ((0.2% DL-methionine+ 0% SBS). The treatments were not significantly different (P>0.05) in their effects on final weight, weight gain and feed conversion ratio. It is concluded that sandbox seeds can be included at 6% in broiler finisher diets and it can serve as an alternative to synthetic DL-methionine in the supply of dietary methionine