EFFECT OF REPLACING MAIZE WITH GRADED LEVEL OF MANGO-SEED KERNEL MEAL ON THE PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS OF BROILERS CHICKS AND CHICKENS

Abstract

Eighty day-old broiler chicken were fed diets in which maize was replaced weight for weight with mango seed-kernel meal at 0, 10, 20, and 30% levels during starter and finisher phases of four weeks each. No significance differences (p>0.05) were observe in the final body weight, body weight gain, feed intake, mortality, feed conversion efficiency and feed efficiency ratio among the chicks. During the starter phase, the highest feed intake value (2001.81 g/birds) was recorded for diet IV and the least value was obtained for diet I (control diet). During the finisher phase, however, the least feed intake value (773.24 g/bird) was obtained in respect of diet I while feed intake values were similarly high for others diets. It was, therefore, concluded that mango seed-kernel meal could be utilized by broiler chicks during the starter and finisher phase and it could serve as an alternative energy source to maize in broiler starter and finisher diets.