Growth performance, nutrient digestibility and cost/body weight gain analysis of Guinea fowl keets fed varying inclusion levels of boiled Senna occidentalis meal

Abstract

A total of one hundred and twenty guinea fowl keets were used in the experiment.The birds were randomly divided into four treatment groups.Boiled Senna occidentalis meal(BSOM) was included at 0.0 %, 6.5 %, 13.0 %and 19.5 % and designated as T1,T2,T3 and T4 respectively.Significant differences (P<0.05) were observed in all the parameters measured which included feed intake, final weight and FCR, water intake,protein efficiency ratio, energy efficiency ratio, and feed cost/weight gain. Although the cost of feed/kilogram tends to decrease as the inclusion level of MSOM increased,this does not translate into higher weight gain but rather the feed cost/body weight tends to increase. From the results of the experiment, boiled Senna occidentalis meal tends not to have positive effect on the growth performance of guinea fowl keets.