A nine-weeks study was conducted to evaluated the growth performance and cost benefits of weaner rabbits fed dietary levels of maize milling residue (MMR). Forty (40) mixed breeds of both sexes, aged between 8 and 10 weeks having an initial weight of 759 - 771g each, were allotted to four experimental diets in replicates of ten containing one rabbit each in a complete randomise design. The diets contained maize milling residue at 0, 30, 35 and 40% levels, coded as T1, T2, T3 and T4, respectively. Data was collected on performance, digestibility and cost benefit. Except for feed conversion ratio, no significant (P<0.05) effect of diet was observed on performance indices. Feed conversion ratio was best (P<0.05) on T3 (4.66). followed by T5 (5.15) and T2 (5.85) which were the same, then T1 (6.03). daily feed intake ranged between 60.68g on T4 and 65.00g on T2, daily weight gain was from 10.44g (T1) to 11.83g (T3) while final weight ranged between 1292.50g and 1430.00g on T3 and T4 respectively. Nutrient digestibility revealed higher (P<0.05) mean values for crude protein on T3 (80.46%) and T4 (79.84%) than on T1 (79.25%) and T2 (79.29%). Feed cost/kg reduced linearly from N190.01 (T1) - N135.00 (T4)) with increased dietary MMR. Feed cost per kg gain also decreased with increased level of dietary MMR. Diet T4 (N750.25) had the lowest value. It was therefore concluded that inclusion of up to 40% MMR in weaner rabbit diets reduced feed cost without compromising growth performance.
The study was conducted to evaluate growth performance, carcass characteristics and cost benefit of broiler chickens fed five commercial diets in Bauchi town of Bauchi state. Two hundred and twenty-five (225) day old chicks were assigned to five dietary treatments in replicates of three containing fifteen chicks each in a completely randomized design. Feed and water were supplied ad libitum and the experiment lasted for 35 days. Growth performance parameters include daily feed intake, daily weight gain, final weight gain, total weight gain, feed conversion ratio and feed efficiency were studied. The final weight gain, total weight gain and daily weight gain were significantly (P<0.05) affected by the dietary treatments. The highest values of final weight gain (1522.70 g), total weight gain (1426.30 g) and daily weight gain (50.94 g) were obtained on diet 4, although it did not differ from those fed diet 1. Total feed intake (2077.30-2203.70 g), feed conversion ratio (1.54-1.74) and feed efficiency (0.58-0.66) were not affected by the diets. Most of the carcass characteristics were significantly influenced by the different commercial diets except weights of the head, large intestine, gizzard as well as the length of the small intestine. The highest dressing percentage value of 74.74% was observed in broiler chickens fed diet 4 which did not differ from the value of 71.21% for those fed diet 5. The feed cost per kilogram body weight gain ranged between N 456.90 and N 485.04 with the lowest value obtained in broiler birds fed diet 2. It was concluded that diet 4 gave the best growth performance and carcass yield with lower abdominal fat pad. However, diet 2 was slightly more commercial.
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