ABSTRACT

Three experiments were conducted to investigate the nutritive contents of garri and cassava flour meal as an alternative to maize in the diets of turkey poults. Two hundred and seventy (270) day- old unsexed turkey poults of the local breed were used for the two trials. Both trails (experiments 2 and 3) had birds randomly allotted into five (5) dietary groups having three replicates with 9 birds per replicate in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD).ln experiment 1, proximate composition, minerals, amino acids content and anti-nutritional factors of the test diets(garri and cassava flour processed from yellow roots cassava UMUCASS 36 and 37) were determined. In experiment 2, dietary maize was substituted for gari at 0, 25, 50, 75 and 100% while in experiment 3, dietary maize was also substituted for cassava flour at 0, 25, 50, 75 and 100%. Each of the trails lasted 16 weeks. The birds were fed and watered ad libiturn. The results in experiment to show the superiority of maize to garri and cassava flour meal (CFM) in all the parameters considered. The hydrogen cynanide (HCN) contents in both garri and cassava flour meal (CFM) were below the permissible level of 100mg/kg a recommended for safe cassava products and 1% for other anti- nutrients. In experiment 2, the results obtained indicated that poults fed diets 1, 2 and 3i during the starter phase significantly (P<0.05) improved final body weight, final weight gain, daily weight gain, daily feed intake, daily protein intake, protein efficiency ratio and feed — to — gain ratio but at the grower phase, daily feed intake and feed — to —gain ratio were not significantly (p>O.05) influenced by the dietary maize substitution for garri. The feed — to — gain ratio at both starter and grower phases were poorer in diets 4 and 5 as the level of substitution increases. The haematological indices of the turkey poults showed significant (P<0.05) differences in all the parameters measured for both starter and grower phases except for packed cell volume (PCV) while for serum biochemical, all the parameters considered showed significant (P<0.05) differences among the treatment groups except creatinine, glucose, ALT, AST and ALP which did not differ significantly (P>0.05) at the grower phase. On the economics of production for both starter and grower phases, the cost/kg feed for diets 1, 2 and 3 yielded the highest  (P<0.05) gross margin (gm) values than birds fed diets 4 and 5. Cut- up yields and organ weights were not affected (P<0.05) by the graded levels of garri substitution to maize, except for the breast and spleen weights. In experiment 3, inclusion of cassava four meal (CFM) in the diets of turkey poults up to 50% significantly (P<0.05) improved growth performance parameters at both phases as well as the revenue and gross margin. Haematogical indices of the turkey poults at the starter phase for all the parameters measured were significantly (P<0.05) influenced except packed cell volume (PCV) . At the grower stage, WBC, MCH and MCHC showed no significant (p>O.OS) different except Hb, RBC, PCV and MCV which were significantly (P<0.05) different from each other. Values for serum biochemistry indices at both starter and grower phases showed significant (P<0.05) differences except glubolin, AST and ALP. Results indicated that CFM did not influence the dressed percentage, breast, thigh, wing and back cuts except the drumstick which was significantly (P<0.05) influenced by the different levels of CFM in the diets. For internal organs, all the parameters considered except the kidney and large intestine were not affected (P>0.05) by the levels of CFM. On the economics of production, the cost /kg feed increase as the level of substitution with dietary maize increases at both starter and grower phases. The highest, (P<0.05) gross margin and revenue were obtained for treatment 1, while treatments 4 and 5 had the highest cost/kg feed and the lowest gross margin. In conclusion, substituting dietary maize with garri and CFM up 50% in turkey diets did not adversely affect performance and economics of production.