GROWTH PERFORMANCE AND ECONOMICS OF PRODUCTION OF BROILER CHICKENS FED VARIED INCLUSION LEVELS OF VELVET TAMARIND (Dialium guineense) LEAF MEAL IN THE DIET

Abstract

The research was designed to determine the Performance and Economics of production of broiler chickens fed varied inclusion levels of velvet tamarind (Dialium guineense) leaf meal (VTLM) in the diet. Ninety-six (96) 28- day old broiler chicks (Arbor acre) purchased from CHI Ibadan were used in this trial. The birds were fed with standard commercial broiler starter for the first four weeks and broiler finisher at the finisher phase (5-8 weeks). At four weeks of age, the birds were randomly assigned to four dietary treatments (T1, T2, T3, T4) each with twenty- four (24) birds divided into 3 replicates such that each replicate had 8 birds in a completely randomized design. The velvet tamarind leaf meal was included in the diet at 0.0g, 2.5g, 5.0g, and 7.5g per kg of feed corresponding to T1, T2, T3, and T4 respectively. All the Performance and Economics of production parameters measured were significantly (p<0.05) affected by treatments. It was concluded that higher doses (7.5g/kg feed) had positive effect on the broilers’ final weight and feed conversion ratio. It was therefore recommended that velvet tamarind leaf meal be used in broiler chickens’ diets as a sustainable alternative to synthetic antibiotics