Performance, carcass characteristics and feed cost Benefits of broilers fed processed Mucuna sloanei seed meal

Abstract

The performance of broiler chickens fed boiled, boiled with potash (akanwu) (BWA) or boiled and mix with enzyme (BME) mucuna seed meal( MSM) were investigated. 120 a week old broiler chicken were randomly assigned to 4 treatment diets in a completely randomized experiment that lasted for 49 days. The diets were made of control (soya bean based), D2 (5% boiled MS), D3 (5% BWA MSM) and D4 (5% BME). The proximate composition of mucuna was determined. Other parameters measured were: feed intake, weight gain, and carcass characteristics of broilers. The crude protein content ranged from 22.10-22.16%, while the energy level ranged from 2996.10-3003.60kcal/kg. For growth performance, significance differences (P<0.05)exist for final body weight, ,total weight gain, daily weight gain and feed to gain ratio except for initial body weight, total feed intake, daily feed intake and mortality. BME gave the best growth performance in terms of significant (P<0.05) higher final body weight (2566.50g), total weight gain (2489.20g), and better feed to gain ratio (2.25) than the control which had: 2198.30g, 2095.10g and 2.56 for FBW, TWG and FGR respectively. For the carcass characteristics, chickens fed diet 4(BME) was not significantly (P>0.05) different from the control for dressed weight and dressed weight percentage. Control diet had the highest breast cut (31.87%) and diet 4 had the lowest (28.57%) while D4 had the highest thigh cut (18.34%) but the control had the lowest (16.41%). For cost per kg weight gain and gross margin, D4 gave 235.03 and 708.64 respectively, which compared (P>0.05) with the control ( 231.71, 746.68). The revenue and gross margin valuesobserved were direct indices of the biological effects observed in the growth performance (Table 4). From the above, Diet 4 which is boiled mucuna seed meal mixed with enzyme is therefore chosen as the best in terms of cost/Kg weight gain, revenue and gross margin in that it compared favorably with the control diet (D1).