Carcass characteristics of broiler chickens fed varying dietary levels of Ficus thonningii leaf meal

Abstract

The feeding trial was conducted to determine carcass characteristics of broiler chickens fed varying dietary levels of Ficus thonningii leaf meal. A total of ninety six (96) four weeks old broilers were used for the feeding trial. The birds were randomly assigned to four treatments namely; 0 g/kg (control) for T1, 2 g/kg for T2, 3.5 g/kg for T3, and 5 g/kg for T4 Ficus thonningii leaf meal in the diets, respectively. Each treatment had 24 birds and 8 birds per replicate. The results showed that treatment significantly affected live weight and carcass yield. The live weight for broiler chickens ranged from 2,420.00 g - 2,870.00 g with T1 (control) having the highest mean live weight of 2,870 g. Under the conditions of the present experiment, it may be concluded that the inclusion of Ficus thonningii leaf meal in broiler diets can promote carcass yield benefits when compared with the control. It was recommended that Ficus thonningii leaf meal can be included in the diet of broiler chickens up to 5 g/kg level for optimum performance