EFFECT OF FEEDING VARYING REPLACEMENT LEVELS OF DOUM PALM (Hyphaene thebaica) PULP MEAL SUPPLEMENTED WITH PREPARED ENZYME ON THE PERFORMANCE OF BROILER CHICKENS

Abstract

The experiment was carried out to evaluate the effect of feeding Doum Palm (Hyphaene thebaica) Pulp meal to Broiler Chickens  supplemented with prepared enzyme at Federal University Dutse teaching and research Farm, Jigawa State. The enzyme was prepared using Sorghum grain. 10g/kg of this prepared enzyme was used in all the treatments except T1. In a completely randomized design 150, day- old broiler chicks (Ross 308 strain) were randomly assigned to five dietary treatments of 30 chicks with three replicates and ten chicks each. The treatments were designated as, T1 (0%), T2 (5%), T3 (10%), T4 (15%) and T5 (20 %.) All broiler management procedures where adhered to. Data collected were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) using SAS (1999) package. The results during starter phase revealed that significant (p<0.05) differences exist among some parameters observed. Final weight (781.23g), weight gain (741.77g/b) and daily weight gain (26.92g/d/b) were significantly (p<0.05) higher in T2 (5% DPP).  However, chicks fed diet T5 (20% DPP) showed significantly (p<0.05) higher values (52.44 g/b/d) and feed conversion ratio (2.21) while at finisher phase, the results revealed that only daily feed intake was significantly (p<0.05) affected. Final weight was higher in T4 (1993.30g).The results of the analysis of carcass cut-ups on all the parameters examined were not-significantly (p>0.05) different except in the values of neck and back. Cost benefit analysis indicated that all the cost studied were higher in T1 (control) in both experiments. It can be concluded DPP has nutritional properties relative to some conventional feed ingredients and therefore, recommended as alternative feed ingredients for livestock.