Citation of this paper

Effect of replacing maize with cassava peel-leaf mixture on growth performance of broiler chickens

J C Olowoyeye, J O Agbede¹, F A Igbasan¹, O D Oloruntola² and A O Ayeni¹

Department of Agricultural Education, College of Education, Ikere-Ekiti, Nigeria
¹ Department of Animal Production and Health, The Federal University of Technology, Akure, Nigeria
² Department of Animal Science, Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, Nigeria
olugbenga.oloruntola@aaua.edu.ng

Abstracts

A 42-day feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the effect of replacing maize with cassava peel and leaf meal mixture (CPLM) in a ratio of 9:1 respectively on the performance characteristics of broiler chickens. Three hundred, day-old Marshall Breed chicks were used for the trial. All the chicks were brooded and fed with a commercial diet for the first week pre-experimental period. They were then allotted to six dietary treatments in which maize was replaced with 0, 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50% CPLM in a completely randomized design. Each treatment group was replicated five times with ten (10) birds per replicate and the trial lasted 42d. Weight gain and feed conversion deteriorated progressively with curvilinear trends as CPLM replaced maize in the diet.

Keywords: HCN, import substitution, local feed resources

Introduction

Low animal protein intake among the resource-poor is a major concern in developing countries including Nigeria. This could be attributed to the widening gap between demand and supply of food of animal origin (Ogunsipe et al 2017). There is a need to develop livestock production strategies which will lead to improved production of high-quality animal products, such as meat, milk and egg, using local resources. This is now more compelling especially in view of the developing emergencies due to climate change and loss of biodiversity. Reducing feed imports by using local resources is one way of responding to these emergencies as intensive industrial-scale production of maize and soybean in the exporting countries is one of the factors contributing to loss of biodiversity (LRRD mission 2019).

Availability of animal feed is one of the greatest constraints to the expansion of the livestock industry in Nigeria due to the increasing cost and decreasing supply of the conventional feed ingredients (Oloruntola et al 2016). Maize is a commonly used ingredient in the diet of poultry to supply the energy needs of poultry. According to USDA (2019), over the past five years, thousands of tonnes of maize have been imported to Nigeria (Figure 1). However, the cost of this ingredient in recent years has increased due mainly to global inflationary trends coupled with its industrial use for ethanol production, energy drinks, as starch for binding tablets and as a staple food for people. This, therefore, necessitates the development of poultry feeding systems which in part are independent of maize (Kayode 2009; FIDA Afrique 2010; FAO 2012).

Exploring the nutritional potential of cheaper agro-industrial by-products such as cassava root wastes as feed ingredients for poultry continues to be the focus of animal scientists (Ojebiyi et al 2013; Ogunsipe et al 2015).

Figure 1. The importation of maize to Nigeria (2014-2018)

The processing of cassava tubers into gari, lafun and fufu generates 5 to 7.5 million tonnes of wet peels which are highly under-utilized as livestock feeds and constitute an environmental nuisance. Other by-products of root harvest are the leaf, which is high in plant protein but always left on the farm as waste. It is conceivable that a rational blend of the cassava peels and cassava leaves will produce a feed which can serve as both an energy and protein resource to be used in the replacement of maize in the diet of broiler chickens. Thus, this study was conducted to evaluate the performance of broiler chickens in response to the feeding of diets in which maize was replaced with cassava peel-leaf mixture.

Materials and methods

The approval to conduct this study was given by the Research Committee of the Department of Animal Production and Health, the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), Nigeria.

Experimental site

The field study was carried out at the Teaching and Research Farm of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), Nigeria while the laboratory study was done at the Central Research Laboratory, FUTA. The study area lies on Latitude 7⁰15¹North of the equator and on Longitude 5⁰ 15¹ East of the Greenwich Meridian. It stands on an altitude of about 370 meters above the sea level with a mean annual temperature of 22^oC (Ajibefun 2011).

Collection and processing of the test ingredients

Fresh cassava peels were collected from the cassava processing cottage industries in Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria, sun-dried for between 7 and 10 days, ground and stored as cassava peel meal (CPM). Cassava leaves obtained from the Teaching and Research farm of FUTA were sun-dried and milled to form cassava leaf meal (CLM). Thereafter, the CPM and CLM were mixed together in the ratio of 9:1 respectively to form cassava peel - leaf meal (CPLM) (Table 1). All other ingredients used in the feed formulation were obtained from a local feed mill in Akure while the Marshal breed of broiler chicks was obtained from a hatchery in Osogbo, Nigeria.

Table 1. Proximate composition (g/100gDM) and hydrogen cyanide concentration of cassava peel meal, cassava leaf, and the mixture
	Cassava peels	Cassava leaf	Cassava peel- leaf meal (9:1)

Crude protein	5.14	24.4	11.2
Crude fibre	13.7	17.2	14.1
Ash	2.20	5.73	5.28
Ether extract	5.11	8.20	6.29
Nitrogen free extract	60.9	33.5	50.8
Hydrogen cyanide, mg/kg	20.9	22.8	21.1

Experimental diets

Before the formulation of the diets, the ingredients i.e. maize, CPLM, soybean meal, groundnut cake and fish meal which were to be used for the feed production were analyzed for the crude protein using AOAC (2002) methods. Thereafter, six diets were prepared in which the maize component of the basal diet was replaced with CPLM at 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50% (Tables 2 and 3).

Table 2. Composition of the starter diet (g/100g)
	Level (%) of maize replacement by cassava peel-leaf mix
	0	10	20	30	40	50

Maize	51.2	46.1	41.0	35.8	30.7	25.6
CPLM	0. 00	5.12	10.2	15.4	20.5	25.6
Soybean meal	30.0	30.0	29.0	29.0	28.5	28.5
Groundnut cake	9.00	9.00	9.00	9.00	9.00	9.00
Fish meal	4.00	4.00	4.00	4.00	4.00	4.00
Bone meal	2.00	2.00	2.00	2.00	2.00	2.00
Oyster shell	0.50	0.50	0.50	0.50	0.50	0.50
Premix*	0.25	0.25	0.25	0.25	0.25	0.25
Lysine	0.13	0.13	0.13	0.13	0.13	0.13
Methionine,	0.13	0.13	0.13	0.13	0.13	0.13
Salt	0.30	0.30	0.30	0.30	0.30	0.30
Vegetable oil	2.50	2.50	3.50	3.50	4.00	4.00
Determined analysis (% in DM:
Crude protein	22.0	22.1	22.2	22.1	22.2	22.0
Crude fibre	3.53	3.68	3.88	4.42	4.61	4.82
Ether extract	3.86	2.83	2.62	2.51	2.44	2.22
Ash	6.95	8.17	8.49	8.53	8.62	9.47
Nitrogen free extract	52.5	50.3	51.1	50.7	49.6	48.1
CPLM: Cassava peel-leaf mix *Composition of vitamin premix: Vitamin A (10,000 iu) D (2,000,000 iu), E (35, 000 iu); K (1,900mg); B12 (19mg); Riboflavin (7,000mg). Nicotinic acid (45,000mg)’ Folic acid (1,400mg); Pyridoxine (3800mg); Thiamine (2,200mg); Pantothenic acid (11,000mg); Biotin (113mg) and trace element such as Cu (8,00omg), Mn (64,000mg); Zn(40,000mg), Fe(32,000mg), Se(160mg), I(800mg); and other items as Ca (400mg); Chlorine (475,000mg) Methionine (50, 000mg); BHT (5,000mg) and Spiramycin (5,000mg) in 2.5kg of premix. Embavit No1 by May and Baker Nig. Plc

Table 3. Composition of the finisher diets (g/100g)
Ingredient	Level (%) of maize replacement by cassava peel-leaf mix
Ingredient	0	10	20	30	40	50

Maize	58.2	54.4	48.5	42.7	36.9	31.1
CPLM	0.00	5.80	11.7	17.5	23.3	29.1
SBM	24.0	24.0	24.0	24.0	24.0	24.0
Groundnut cake	9.00	9.00	9.00	9.00	9.00	9.00
Fish meal	3.50	3.50	3.50	3.50	3.50	3.50
B/Meal	2.00	2. 00	2. 00	2. 00	2. 00	2. 00
Oyster shell	0.50	0.50	0.50	0.50	0.50	0.50
Premix*	0.25	0.25	0.25	0.25	0.25	0.25
Lysine	0.11	0.11	0.11	0.11	0.11	0.11
Methionine	0.11	0.11	0.11	0.11	0.11	0.11
Salt	0.30	0.30	0.30	0.30	0.30	0.30
Vegetable Oil	2.00	2.00	2.00	2.00	2.00	2.00
Determined analysis (% in DM):
Crude protein	20.3	20.5	20.5	20.5	20.6	20.7
Crude fibre	3.60	4.80	5.10	5.40	5.70	6.50
Ether extract	3.92	2.82	2.78	2.65	2.62	2.63
Ash	7.82	9.32	9.27	9.40	9.53	9.82
Nitrogen free extract	53.3	51.2	51.2	50.8	50.4	50.3
CPLM: Cassava peel-leaf mix *Composition of vitamin premix: Vitamin A (10,000 iu) D (2,000,000 iu), E (35, 000 iu); K (1,900mg); B12 (19mg); Riboflavin (7,000mg). Nicotinic acid (45,000mg)’ Folic acid (1,400mg); Pyridoxine (3800mg); Thiamine (2,200mg); Pantothenic acid (11,000mg); Biotin (113mg) and trace element such as Cu (8,00omg), Mn (64,000mg); Zn(40,000mg), Fe(32,000mg), Se(160mg), I(800mg); and other items as Ca (400mg); Chlorine (475,000mg) Methionine (50, 000mg); BHT (5,000mg) and Spiramycin (5,000mg) in 2.5kg of premix. Embavit No1 by May and Baker Nig. Plc

Experimental layout and management

At the end of the pre-experimental period, the 300 chicks were weighed and 50 chicks were randomly assigned to each of the 6 diets in 5 replications of 10 chicks per replicate in a completely randomized design (CRD). The chicks were fed with their respective experimental diets ad libitum from day 7 to day 21(starter feed) and from day 21 to day 42 (Finisher feed). Water was provided adequately and records of daily feed consumption were taken and also group weight changes were taken every 7 days. Vaccinations and medications as outlined by the Federal University of Technology Akure Teaching and Research Farm were administered during the experimental period.

Chemical and statistical analysis

The cassava peel and leaves after sun drying were analyzed for their proximate composition using AOAC (2002) methods and hydrogen cyanide content using a modified picrate method (Onwuka 2005).

Data obtained were subjected to analysis of variance using SPSS (2012) version 21.

Results

The daily weight gain decreased, and feed conversion increased, with curvilinear trends, as maize was substituted by CPLM (Figures 2 and 4). Feed intake was not affected by the CPLM level of the diet (Figure 3).

Table 4. Mean values of performance characteristics of broiler chickens fed diets in which maize was replaced by cassava peel-leaf meal (7-42 days of age)
	Replacement of maize by CPLM, %						SEM	p value
	0	10	2	30	40	50	SEM	p value

Weight gain, g/d	52.5^a	47.5^b	44.5^c	43.6^c	41.8^d	41.3^d	0.94	0.00
Feed intake, g/d	91.6	91.8	91.5	91.6	92.0	92.0	0.08	0.49
Feed conversion	1.74^d	1.93^c	2.05^b	2.10^b	2.19^a	2.22^a	0.04	0.00
^abcde Mean within rows having different superscripts differ at p<0.05

Figure 2. Response of live weight gain of broiler chickens to replacement of maize by CPLM (age 7-42 days)

Figure 3. Response of feed intake of broiler chickens fed diets in which CPLM replaced maize (7-42 day)

Figure 4. Response of feed conversion of broiler chickens fed diets in which CPLM replaced maize (7-42 days)

Discussion

Higher fiber level in the test diets (Tables 2 and 3) was the probable explanation for the decline in response as CPLM replaced maize. Rausch and Belyea (2006) associated high fiber levels in the diets of monogastric animals with reduced nutrient density, low digestibility and higher feed intake. The poor performance of birds on the test diets could also be attributed to the possible cumulative effect of cyanide in the diets (Ironkwe and Ukanwoko 2012; Oloruntola et al 2016). The calculated HCN varied from 1.23mg/kg with 10% CPLM to 6.16mg/kg with 50% CPLM. A range of HCN within 2-3mg /100g is regarded as an acceptable level of cyanide in cassava to be used as feed (IITA 1989). Stephen (2003) noted that a high level of HCN in the diet of broilers affected performance.

Aletor and Fasuyi (1997) reported that the cyanide detoxification route in humans and animals is through the formation of thiocyanate sulfurtransferase (Rhodenase pathway) which requires organic sulfur donors in the form of methionine and cysteine, thereby precipitating methionine deficiency in otherwise balanced diets. The amount of methionine needed for detoxification depends on the amount of HCN ingested (Ngiki et al 2014). It is suggested (Akinmutimi and Okwu 2006) that it is HCN-induced methionine deficiency that results in poor growth in poultry fed cassava-based diets.

Conclusions

Growth rate of broiler chickens was reduced, and feed conversion ratio increased, with curvilinear trends, as maize was replaced by mixed cassava peel - leaf meal.
An increase in methionine to supplement the amount in the diet could aid better production in broilers fed cassava by-products as methionine is thought to be the source of dietary sulfur needed to detoxify the cyanide in cassava products.

Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge STEP-B World Bank Centre of Excellence in Food Security, The Federal University of Technology, Akure, Nigeria for financing part of this research.

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Received 22 August 2019; Accepted 3 September 2019; Published 2 October 2019

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