Growth Performance, Nutrient Digestibility and Cost Benefits of Broiler Chickens Fed Diets with Milled Maize, Sorghum, Millet and Their Combinations with Whole Millet in a Semi – Arid Zone of Nigeria
Abstract
The experiment was carried out to evaluate the effect of feeding diets containing milled maize, milled sorghum, milled millet and their combinations on the growth performance, digestibility and cost benefit of production of broiler chickens. The experiment lasted for 42 days. Three hundred and six (306) unsexed day-old broiler chicks weighing averagely 368.77 g were randomly distributed to six experimental groups consisting of 51 birds per group with three (3) replicates of 17 birds each. The control group designated T1, was fed a diet containing 100% milled maize. Other groups were, T2 (milled sorghum 100%), T3 (milled millet 100%), T4 (50% milled maize + 50% whole millet), T5 (50% milled sorghum + 50% whole millet) and T6 (50% milled millet + 50% whole millet). The results showed that there were no significant (P<0.05) difference in final body weights among the treatment groups. The final weight gains were 2070.30, 2113.90, 2232.00, 2193.10, 2159.10 and 2108.60g for T1, T2, T3, T4, T5 and T6, respectively. However, the results showed significant (P<0.05) difference in feed intake and daily weight gain, with T1 (milled maize 100%) and T3 (milled millet 100 %) recording higher values for these parameters, respectively. The feed conversion ratio was better in T3 (milled millet 100 %). The digestibility results showed that T6 (50% millet + 50 % whole millet) had higher dry matter digestibility compared to the other treatments. The cost of feed per unit weight gain was low in millet-based diets. These results suggest that milled maize, sorghum, and millet and their 50: 50 combinations with whole millet had no adverse effect on the growth and economic performance of broiler chickens.
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