An Assessment of Growth Performance of Broilers Fed on Cajanus cajan (Pigeon Pea) at Varying Levels of Inclusion

*Udeh N.P., Ossai O.M., Obudulu C., Okeke O.A., Okafor K.P., and Egwuagu C.C

Department of Zoology, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State, Nigeria.

*Corresponding Authors' Contact Detail: E-mail Address ✉:ndobabe2015@gmail.com

Accepted September 13, 2021

Commercial feedstuffs in Nigeria are expensive, which has led to the search for alternative cheap and locally available feeding materials for poultry birds and these ingredients might have reasonable level of anti-nutritional factor(s). The animal protein market trends are rising globally, and the sector is expected to be one of the fastest growing agricultural sectors in the coming decades. This study was conducted to examine the dietary effect of pigeon pea meal on the growth performance of broiler chicken. A total of 24 broilers of four weeks old, were allocated into four dietary treatments. Each treatment had two cages and six replicates per treatment in a Completely Randomized Design. Treatment 1 (control) was based diet with 0% pigeon pea while the other treatments contained 20, 40 and 60% of pigeon pea in the diets respectively. The experiment lasted for seven (7) weeks during which data were recorded for feed intake and body weight. The results of the study indicated that 60% inclusion of pigeon pea significantly (p<0.05) reduced body weight gain, specific growth rate and increased feed conversion ratio respectively, compared to 20% or 40% inclusion rates respectively. The results from the study showed that the highest specific growth rate was recorded in the broiler chicks fed with 40% inclusion of pigeon pea. Also, the treatment group with 40% pigeon pea inclusion has the highest feed conversion ratio (p<0.05). The results obtained from the experiment indicate that pigeon pea diet could be included up to 40% in the diets of broiler without negatively influencing the growth performance of the broiler.

Key words: Broilers, Cajanus cajan, growth.

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