Cocoa husk/Leucaena leaf mixture in cockerel diets

Abstract

One hundred and fifty-six, 2-week-old Nera cockerels were randomly assigned to 4 isonitrogenous dietary treatments, viz: Diet 1:0% Cocoa husk meal (CHM), 0% Leucenana leaf meal (LLM); Diet 2:7.5% CHM, 2.5% LLM; Diet 3: 11.25% CHM, 3.75% LLM and Diet 4: 15% CHM, 5% LLM.  The test ingredient mixtures mainly replaced maize in Diet 1.  Each dietary treatment was replicated thrice and the experimental diets were offered for 14 weeks (3-8) weeks of age, starter diets; 9-16 weeks of age, finisher diets).

     At the starter phase, feed intake and body weight gain were similar (P>0.05) on diets 1 and 2 but lower (P>0.05) on Diets 3 and 4.  Feed conversion was not influenced (P>0.05) by CHM/LLM inclusions.  In the finisher phase, all these parameters and the feed cost/kg gain were unaffected (P>0.05) by dietary treatments.  Gizzard was heaviest on Diet 4 which produced longer (P<0.05) intestine and caeca.  Dressed weight and abdominal fat weight were similar (P>0.05) across treatments.  It was concluded that all three test diets (or CHM/LLM mixtures) are suitable alternatives for raising cockerels to market weight