ABSTRACT

A 49-day feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the effect of poultry droppings-maggots meal (PDM) on growth performance, carcass characteristics, organ proportion, blood profile and economics of production of broiler chickens. 144 (One hundred and forty four) 7-day old Agrited chicks were divided into four groups of 36 and randomly assigned to the four diets in a Complete Randomized Designed (CRD). The birds were fed straight diets containing different replacement levels of poultry dropping-maggots meal (PDM) for fish meal at 0, 5, 10 and 15% designated as diets D₁, D₂, D₃ and D₄, respectively. Highest feed intake of (98.30g/d) was obtained from birds fed diet D₄ (15% PDM) followed by 93.26g/d from birds fed D₂ (5% PDM) while lower but similar values of 86.06g/d and 84.70g/d were obtained from birds fed D₁ and D₃ respectively. The weight gain of birds fed D₁ (31.34g), D₂ (30.46g) and D₃ (31.29g) were similar (P>0.05) but higher (P<0.05) than that of birds fed D₄ (26.64g). Feed conversion ratio (FCR) differed significantly (P<0.05) among treatment groups. FCR values of 2.76, 2.92, 2.70 and 3.70 were obtained from D₁, D₂, D₃ and D_4, respectively. Except for wing, head and neck cut part, there was significant differences (P<0.05) in other carcass cut part characteristics measured. Highest dressing percentage of 73.63% was obtained from birds fed D₁ followed by those of D₃ (70.60%) while the least value of 64.52% was obtained from birds fed D₄. There were significant differences (P<0.05) in all the organ proportions measured except the heart, kidney and crop. There was no significant effect (P>0.05) of treatment on haematological indices measured. Total protein, albumin, glucose were similar (P>0.05), but significant differences (P<0.05) existed in values of other blood biochemical indices measured. Lowest feed cost per kg weight gain of 418.50 was obtained from birds fed D₃ while the highest feed cost per kg weight gain of 550.56 was gotten from birds fed D₄. Highest gross marginal profit of 794.47 was obtained from birds fed D₃ followed by 697.91 and 692.12 from D₁ and D₂ while least values of 494.26 was obtained from D₄. The replacement of dietary fish meal with poultry dropping-maggots meal (PDM) for broilers did not show any adverse effect on the birds. However, this study indicated that the replacement should not go beyond 10% PDM for fish meal for optimum performance and cost effective broiler production.