The effect of replacing soya bean meal with cooked <i>Mucuna sloanei</i> meal on growth performance, carcass characteristics and blood indices of broiler finishers

Abstract

The experiment was conducted to determine the effect of cooked Mucuna sloanei meal (CMSM) on growth performance, carcass characteristics and blood indices of finisher broilers. Mucuna sloanei seeds were processed into meal and analyzed for proximate and phytochemical compositions. The meal was then used to make four broiler finisher diets at 0, 5.0, 10.0 and 15.0% inclusion levels respectively. Each diet was fed to a group of 30 finisher broilers at 5 weeks old for 28 days, using completely randomized design. Each group was further subdivided into three replicates of 10 birds each. There were no treatments effects (p > 0.05) on the average daily body weight gain, average daily feed intake and feed conversion ratio. Cost of production increased as the dietary level of CMSM increased. The organ weight (liver, heart and gizzard) were not affected by treatments (p > 0.05). The carcass characteristics did not show any treatment effect (p > 0.05) for all the parameters measured including dressed weight, breast weight, drum stick, wing, length of intestine etc. Heametologically, only the haemoglobin and red blood cell were significantly decreased (p < 0.05) at 15% dietary level. Other parameters such as the packed cell volume, white blood cell, mean cell volume, mean cell haemoglobin, mean cell haemoglobin concentration did not show any significant difference (p > 0.05). Biochemical indices show that the serum protein and serum creatinine were significantly decreased (p < 0.05) at 15.0% dietary level. The enzymes (alanine amino transaminase, serum glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase and serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase) did not show any significant difference (p > 0.05). It was therefore concluded that 5% inclusion levels of CMSM in the ration of broilers finishers will yield optimum production.

Key words: blood indices, broilers, carcass, cooked Mucuna, growth performance