GROWTH PERFORMANCE OF GROWING JAPANESE QUAIL BIRDS FED DIETS CONTAINING GRADED LEVELS OF GINGER WASTE MEAL AS A REPLACEMENT FOR MAIZE

Abstract

The experiment was carried out to investigate the effects of diets containing graded levels of ginger waste meal on the growth performance of Japanese quails. The experiment lasted for four (4) weeks and a total of two hundred and eighty-eight (288) Japanese quails of two (2) weeks old of mixed sexes were used. The birds were randomly allocated into four (4) dietary treatments with four (4) replicates. T1: (diet contained 0 % ginger waste meal), T2: (diet contained 35% ginger waste meal), T3: (diet contained 40 % ginger waste meal) and T4: (diet contained 45 % ginger waste meal). Data collected were subjected to analysis of variance. The highest average final body weight was observed on Japanese quail birds fed 35 % ginger waste meal-based diet (128.63 g), followed by those fed 0 % ginger waste meal-based diet (120.95 g) and the least value was obtained on Japanese quail fed 45 % ginger waste meal-based diet (117.68 g). Japanese quails fed 35 % ginger waste meal-based diet recorded the highest total feed consumed (280.64 g) this was closely followed by those fed the control diet (280.14 g) and the least value was recorded on those fed 45 % ginger waste meal-based diet. In conclusion, ginger waste meal could be used to replace maize by up to 40 % in the diets of growing Japanese quails without any negative effect on growth performance