Effects of Replacing Maize with Maize Offal Supplemented with Enzyme Cocktail on Nutrient Digestibility and Growth Performance in Starter Broiler Chickens

Abstract

The need to find alternative to expensive feed ingredients cannot be overemphasised as poultry products are currently not within the reach of the populace. This feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the nutrient digestibility and growth performance response of starter broiler chickens to dietary replacement of maize with maize offal supplemented with cocktail of Kingzyme and GrowingAct enzymes. Two hundred day-old broiler chicks of both sexes were used in the feeding trial comprising of five dietary treatments each with four replicates in a completely randomized design. The diets were formulated such that maize offal supplemented with cocktail of Kingzyme and GrowinAct enzymes replaced 0, 25, 50, 75 and 100% of maize respectively in diets T1, T2, T3, T4 and T5. Data were collected on feed intake, final weight, weight gain and feed conversion ratio. Nutrient digestibility trial was carried out for the chicks. All data collected were analysed using one-way analysis of variance and treatments’ means were separated using Duncan Multiple range test. There were no significant differences (P=0.05) among the treatments in their effects on feed intake, final weight, weight gain and feed conversion ratio (FCR). The FCR ranged from 1.82 for treatment T1 to 1.97 for treatment T2. The treatments were not significantly different in their effects on ether extract digestibility. Crude fiber digestibility did not follow a regular pattern as treatments T3 was significantly lower (P=0.05) than treatments T1 and T2. Treatment T4 (60.07%) was significantly lower than treatments T1 (79.85%) and T2 (76.38%) in their effects on NFE digestibility while the other treatments were not significantly different from treatment T4. It was concluded that maize offal supplemented with cocktail of Kingzyme and GrowinAct enzymes has no detrimental effect on growth performance and nutrient digestibility and can replace 100% of maize in the diets of starter broiler chickens.