NUTRITIONAL EVALUATION OF GRADED LEVELS OF CASSAVA PEEL MEAL FOR GROWING JAPANESE QUAIL (Coturnix coturnix japonica)

Abstract

A feeding trial of 6 weeks duration was conducted to determine the effect of replacing maize with cassava peel meal of CP: 2.93% and ME; 3042.70kcal/kg on the performance of growing Japanese quails. One hundred and fifty two (152), a week old quails of mixed sexes were randomly allocated to five diets in a completely randomized design. The five isonitrogenous (25% CP) diets incorporated 0, 8.29, 16.58, 24.87 and 28.37% of cassava peel meal at the expense of maize. The diets, however, varied in energy levels from 2,706.45 (Diet A) to 2,558.10kcal/kg M (Diet E). Diets B (2,662.92), C (2,619.80) and D (2,576.42) were lower than for diet A. Each diet was replicated three times. Feed intake (16.75, 16.32, 16.74, 16.69 and 16.91g/bird/day), weight gain (3.39, 3.42, 3.44, 3.44 and 3.55g/bird/day), feed conversion ratio (4.94, 4.77, 4.87, 4.85 and 4.78) did not differ significantly from the control. However, feed cost/kg gain was significantly higher (p<0.05) on diet A (370) than on diets D (320.00), and E (313.33) respectively. Other differences were not significant. Feed cost per kg diet decreased from 74.53(diet A) to 65.10 (diet E) and has a cost saving of 12.65% over the control diet. It is concluded that cassava peel meal could replace 100% of maize in growing quail diet without negative effect on performance.