PHASE SUPPLEMENTATION OF XYLANASE ENZYME IN THE DIET OF BROILERS FED RICE HUSK IN PLACE OF WHEAT OFFALS

Abstract

The experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of dietary replacement of wheat offal with rice husk with or without enzyme supplementation on nutrient digestibility of broiler chickens at different phases. Two hundred and eighty-eight day old Marshall strain of broiler chicks were used for the experiment. The birds were randomly divided into 8 groups of 3 replicates of 12 birds each to make a total of 36 birds per treatment in a complete randomized design experiment (CRD). The diets were formulated as follows: Diet I was the control with wheat offal, Diet 2 — plus rice husk without enzyme supplementation), Diet 3 — Diet 2 + AG enzyme (Iml/litre of water) for eight weeks, Diet 4 — Diet 2+ Maxigrain (0.1 grammes/kilogramme of feed) for eight weeks, Diet 5— Diet 2 + AG enzyme (Iml per litre of water) for the first four weeks of the experiment, Diet 6 — Diet 2 + Maxigrain (0.1 grammes/kilogramme offeed) for the first four weeks of the experiment, Diet 7 — Diet 2 + AG enzyme (iml per litre of water) for the last ‘four weeks of the experiment, Diet 8 — Diet 2 + Maxigrain (0.1 grammes/kilogramme of feed) for the last four weeks of the experiment. The experiment lasted for 8 weeks. Enzyme supplementation significantly (P<0.05) affected nutrient digestibility. The dry matter digestibility (DMD) had similar value in diets 7 and 8, but higher in diet 7 and lower in diet 2. Also, the crude protein digestibility (CPD) had similar value in diets 1-8, but higher in diet I and lower in diet 2. Hence, it is concluded that rice husk could be used as alternative to wheat offal in formulating broiler diet at 10% in the starter phase and 16% in the finisher phase, incorporation of enzyme may not be necessary as this will add to the cost of production.