PSXI-42 Palm oil industry waste as an animal feed and its influence on growth performance of grower pigs

Abstract

Abstract Pigs are an important meat species for human consumption, but cost of production is one the main factors limiting its production in developing countries. Palm oil sludge, which is a palm oil industry waste, is relatively cheap in Nigeria. Hence, its influence as animal feed for replacement of maize was assessed on growth performance of grower pigs. Forty grower pigs were used, randomly allotted to four treatments. The four treatments contained 0%, 10%, 20% and 30% palm oil sludge as replacement for maize, respectively, in a completely randomized design. Weekly feed intake and the body weight of the animals were measured. The body weight gain of the animals was determined by deducting the initial body weight from the final body weight of the animals. Feed conversion ratio was determined by finding the ratio of feed intake and body weight gain. Data obtained were analysed using one-way analysis of variance. Palm oil sludge-diets compared well with the control diet, which indicated that at the level of inclusion, palm oil sludge has the potential for reducing the cost of production of pig in developing countries, without adverse effects on the growth rate and body conformation of the animals.