EFFECT OF DIETARY INCLUSION OF GRADED LEVELS OF CUSTUS AFAR (SPIRAL GINGER) ON PERFORMANCE OF BROILER CHICKENS. By: AKPET, S. O., UKOREBI, B. A., OROK, E. E., AYUK, E. A., ESSIEN, A., MEREMIKWU, V. N. & NDU, F. O.

ABSTRACT

Study was carried out to evaluate the performance of broiler chickens fed graded levels of Custus afar leaf meal (CALM) in experimental diets. A total of ninety-six (96) day old  Anak  2000  broiler  chicks  were  randomly  allocated  to  four  (4)  dietary  treatments containing 0.0, 2.5, 5.0 and 7.5% Custus afar leaf meal representing treatments 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively. Each treatment contained three replicates of eight (8) birds each, making a total of 24 birds.  Results  obtained  after  forty  two  (42)  days  of  feeding trial showed a significantly (P<0.05) decreasing average final body weight, and mean feed-to-gain  ratio,  with  increasing  dietary  levels  of  CALM.  Evaluation of carcass parameters revealed that CALM significantly (P<0.05) reduced dressed carcass weight especially at 7.5% dietary level. There were no significant (P> 0.05) treatment effects on the weights of internal organs. The result of the experiment suggests that 2.5% of CALM can be included in the diets of broiler chickens with a remarkable growth performance.