Performance And Egg Quality Parameters Of Laying Chickens Fed Cassava (Manihot esculenta) Plant Meals Based Diets

Abstract The study was carried out to evaluate the effect of partial replacing maize with cassava plant meal on the performance and egg qualities of laying birds. One thousand (1,000) day old Isa Brown pullets were randomly assigned to four treatments of 10 replicates per treatment with each replicate comprising 25 laying pullets. The feeding trial lasted 12 months. The treatments were control (maize-based), cassava plant meal products (CPM 1, CPM2, CPM3). The CPMs were then used to constitute three experimental diets. The diets were 100% cassava-based on replacement of maize and a maize-based control diet. Result showed that CPM3 had a similar (P < 0.01) final weight and weight gain with the control diet (maize based) while CPM1 had the lowest and consumed the highest feed which result in a similar pattern for the FCR. Surprisingly, the highest mortality were recorded in birds fed CPM2 while the lowest (P < 0.0001) was recorded in CPM1 and CPM3. The control diet and CPM3 birds were the fastest birds to lay first egg while CPM 1 were the latest. Diet CPM 1 supported internal egg quality especially egg yolk colour while either CPM 2 or CPM 3 equally supported efficient egg production in terms of FCR/Kg egg mass as maize based diet without compromising the overall egg quality. Thus, CPM3 can successfully be used for partial replacement of maize during maize scarcity and high cost among farmers in developing countries.