EFFECTS OF FEEDING GRADED LEVELS OF BAOBAB (Adansonia digitata) PULP SEED MEAL ON APPARENT NUTRIENTS DIGESTIBILITY AND CARCASS CHARACTERISTIC OF BROILER CHICKENS

Résumé

The experiment was conducted to evaluate the nutrients digestibility and carcass characteristics of broiler chickens fed graded levels of baobab (Adansonia digitata) pulp meal (BPSM). Three hundred broiler (Anak) chickens were allotted to five treatments replicated thrice with 20 birds per replicate in a completely randomized design (CRD). The inclusion levels of the BPSM in the diets were 0, 10, 20, 30 and 40% for treatment 1 (Control), 2, 3, 4 and 5 respectively. The experiment lasted for four weeks each for the starterand finisher respectively. Data collected were subjected to analysis of variance andsignificant differences among treatment means were compared using the Dunnet Test. Nutrient digestibility increased with increasing levels of BPSM in broiler chickens diet up to 20% BPSM and then slightly declined afterward and the significant (P<0.05) increase in carcass characteristic was the total reflection of live weight which was significantly higher in birds fed diets containing BPSM