Effects of Graded Dietary Protein on Growth and Laying Performance of Pearl Guinea Fowl (Numida meleagris)

Abstract

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of dietary crude protein (CP) on growth and laying performance of indigenous Guinea fowls (Numida meleagris) in Ghana. A total of Sixty (60) grower pearl Guinea fowl made up of twelve (12) males and forty-eight (48) females were randomly selected and grouped into four made up of (4) females and one (1) male. The groups were each subjected to four experimental diets containing 16%, 18%, 20% and 22% crude protein (CP). A completely randomized design (CRD) was used for the experiment. The data collected were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) using GenStat version 11.1 (2008). Least significant difference (LSD) at 5% was used to separate the means. The result showed that birds fed with diets containing 22% crude protein (CP) had the heaviest (P= .05) body weight and body weight gain and reached age at first egg earlier followed by birds fed with diets containing 18% CP, 20% CP and 16% CP respectively. Feed consumption increased with an increase in dietary crude protein. Body weight at first egg was highest (P= .05) among birds fed with diets containing 22% crude protein (CP) and lowest in 16% crude protein (CP). Birds fed with diets containing 20% and 22% crude protein (CP) had the highest (P= .05) hen-day and hen- house egg production, whiles 16% crude protein (CP) diet recorded the lowest. It was concluded that body weight, body weight gain and total feed intake of indigenous Guinea fowls increased with increasing dietary crude protein. It is recommended to farmers that, diets containing 22% crude protein (CP) is ideal for optimum productivity of indigenous Guinea fowls.