The replacement value of groundnut cake with cooked Bambara groundnut meal on the carcass quality and relative organ weights of broiler chikens

Abstract

Seventy five day-old Anak 2000 broiler chicks were randomly allotted to five dietary treatments 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 in which groundnut cake (GNC) was replaced by cooked bambara groundnut meal (CBGM) at 0, 25, 50, 75 and 100% levels of inclusion for both starter and finisher phases. Replacement levels of cooked bambara groundnut meal significantly (P<0.05) affected the carcass quality and relative organ weights of the broiler chickens at both starter and finisher phases. Average live weight ranged from 134.4g in 75% to 137.1g in 0% while defeathered weight, relative weights of neck, wings, breast weight, drumstick, thigh and back of broilers ranged from 120.3g in 75% to 122.8g in 0%, 5.68g in 0% to 7.93g in 100%, 11.07g in 75% to 14.22g in 0%, 14.99 in 0% to 16.45g in 75%, 11.21g in 50%, to 15.43 in 0%, 13.46 in 0% to 15.11 in 100% and 7.8g in 75% to 961g in 50% respectively. The significant increase in carcass yield and comparable organ weight of broiler chickens placed on all the dietary treatments including the control diet is suggestive of the potent nutritional quality of CBGM in replacing groundnut cake for chickens. Therefore, the replacement of GNC with CBGM even up to 100%inclusion level as a source of vegetable protein in broiler rations will be of immense benefit to commercial broiler producers, provided it is readily available and less expensive than the conventional GNC.

Keywords: groundnut cake, cooked bambara groundnut meal, carcass, organ weight

Journal of Agriculture, Forestry and the Social Sciences Vol 3(1) 2005: 121-128