Partial Substitution of Maize with SV1 and Red Swazi at 30% Level in Broiler Diets

Abstract

The effects of Red Swazi and SV1 were tested on broilers from day 1 up to six weeks of age at different levels for two experiments. 30% of maize was partially substituted with whole grains of Red Swazi and SV1. The control diet was containing maize as a cereal grain. Weekly body weight gains, feed intake and feed conversion ratios were calculated. In this experiment 3 different diets were used including the control diet which contained maize. The diets were as follows; control, 30% whole Red Swazi and 30% whole SV1 numbered from 1 to 3 respectively. The results were subjected to analysis of variance using IBM SPSS version 25. There were significant differences between the diets with SV1 producing significantly lower performance than the Red Swazi and Control diets. The objectives were to determine the effects of sorghum on growth and weight gain of broilers. Partial substitution is recommended as a way of reducing pressure on maize since maize is a staple food in Zimbabwe. Dehulling is also recommended to sorghum to improve its digestibility and voluntary feed intake.