Performance and economic analysis of cockerel chicks fed enzyme supplemented brewer’s dried grains groundnut cake-based diets

摘要

The effect of replacing groundnut cake (GNC) with enzyme supplemented brewer’s dried grains (BDG) at 0, 25, 50, 75 and 100% graded levels in cockerel chicks diets was investigated. Five dietary treatments were formulated to be isonitrogenous and isocaloric to provide 23% crude protein and 2895.77 Kcal/kg metabolizable energy. Two hundred and twenty five day old cockerel chicks (Abor-Acre breed) were randomly allocated to five treatments replicated thrice with 15 chicks per replicate, fed and watered ad libitum in deep litter pens for 4 weeks. Means of body weight, weight gain, feed intake and feed: gain ratio of cockerel chicks fed the control diet, 25 and 50% enzyme supplemented brewer’s dried grains diets were significantly (P < 0.05) better than those fed 75 and 100% inclusion levels. Mortality was approximately 6%. It was economically more profitable to use enzyme supplemented BDG in replacing GNC in cockerel chicks diets.