Growth performance and carcass traits of indigenous Nigerian guinea fowl fed on different dietary protein levels.

Abstract

This work examined the results of different dietary protein levels on indigenous Nigerian guinea fowl growth performance and carcass yield. One hundred and eight unsexed indigenous keets were randomly assigned to three treatments with experimental diets containing 22%, 24%, and 26% crude protein (CP) in a completely randomized design, with 3 replicates with 12 keets in each replicate. The parameters were measured, including proximate composition, feed intake, growth rate, feed conversion ratio (FCR), and carcass yield. The birds fed diets containing 24% CP gained the most body weight at 619.83 gm and had the highest FCR of 3.45. The presence of CP had an impact that was significant (p < 0.05) on most carcass traits and prime cuts but not on gastrointestinal tract weight, head weight, dress percentage, or organ yield. The study concluded that the dietary CP level of 24% was optimal for body weight gain and carcass yield.