The Effect of Replacement of Maize with Kocho on Feed Intake, Growth Performance and Carcass Characteristics of Hubbard Broiler Chickens

Abstract

The replacement value of maize with kocho on feed intake, growth performance and carcass characteristics of growing Hubbard broiler chicken was evaluated. The four treatment diets contained 0% (T1), 33% (T2), 67% (T3) and 100% (T4) kocho as a replacement for maize in the concentrate mixture. The concentrate mixture was composed of noug (Guizotia abyssinica) seed cake, wheat bran, soybean, limestone, vitamin/mineral premix), dicalcium phosphate, lysine, methionine and common salt. Unsexed broiler (180) chickens were allocated to the dietary treatments with three replicates of 15 chickens each in a completely randomized design. Feed and water were provided ad libitum. The experiment lasted for 49 days. At the beginning of the experiment, eight unsexed chicks were selected and killed by dislocating the neck and kept in deep freezer (-20℃) until chemical analysis to determine nutrient retention. At the end of the experiment, two chickens (1 male and 1 female) per replicate were randomly selected for measurement of carcass characteristics and nutrient retention. The dry matter intake was similar (p>0.05) among treatments. The crude protein intake of chicks fed on T1 diet were the highest (p<0.05) while the lowest was for T2. The metabolizable energy retention for T1 diet was greater (p<0.05) than those receiving T3 and T4 diets. There was an increasing trend in phosphorus retention with increasing levels of kocho in concentrate mixture. There was no significant difference in body weight gain, slaughter weight and edible carcass of chicks across treatments. The dressing percentage for chicks receiving T4 diet was higher than that of T2 diet. In conclusion due to the year-round availability and easy access by smallholder farmers in the southern and south-western part of Ethiopia where enset is widely grown, kocho could be used as energy source as a substitute for maize.