On-Farm Evaluation of the Use of Cassava Root Meal as a Partial Substitute for Maize in Broiler Diets in Anambra State

Abstract

The paper determined the on-farm evaluation of the use of cassava root meal as a partial substitute for maize in broiler diets. The result shows that at the 70th day of the experiment, the different diets were adequate in promoting the healthy living and growth of the birds. The results also reveals that the final weight of the birds ranged from 2.23% to 2.78% and average weight gains, ranged from 1.19kg to 1.75kg. The result further indicates that the use of cassava as a substitute for maize in broiler diets has no significant influence on the live-weight of the birds. The result shows that treatment 3 is the cheapest in terms of cost of production (N2320.60), has the highest feed
conversion efficiency and the lowest for one kg of broiler meat. The paper
suggested for such trial to be carried out with higher percentage of cassava
inclusion from day old to market weight. The use of garri in place of cassava
flour to reduce its dustiness and improve storability is also suggested.