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.