Inclusion of a locally produced animal performance supplement in broilers’ ration

Abstract

Sustainable livestock production which is highly dependent on the availability of quality feed has been the focus of research recently. The present study aims to evaluate the partial replacement of maize and other ingredients with a locally produced Animal Performance Supplement in broilers’ rations. Fifteen broiler chicks divided into three groups of 5 chicks each (n=5) and subjected to formulated livestock feeding for four weeks were used for the study. At the end of the study period, venous blood was collected and assayed for the activities of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST). The inclusion of animal performance supplement reduced the amount of maize required and eliminated the use of lysine, methionine, vitamins/minerals premix, bone meal, limestone, and dicalcium phosphate. Results obtained showed that the animal performance supplement enabled the chicks to convert the complex hemicelluloses in wheat offal and palm kernel cake into digestible sugars. This is further confirmed by the increase in weight gain of birds at the end of the study. In addition, no significant change (p>0.05) was recorded in the activities of AST, ALT and ALP of broiler chicks fed with the animal performance supplement when compared with standard control. Thus, the hepatocellular functions of broiler chicks fed with the formulated diets were not compromised. In conclusion, this study showed that animal performance supplement inclusion in feed
resulted in birds with better performance wheat offal and palm kernel cake.