Effect of Raw and Roasted Wild Afzelia africana Seed Meal Based Diets on Broiler Chickens

Abstract

An experiment was carried out to evaluate the effect of raw and roasted wild Afzelia africana seeds on the performance, nutrient utilization of broilers and the cost – benefit of feeding the seeds to broilers. The feeding lasted for 9 weeks. A total of 99 day-old Arbor acre broiler chicks were used for the work. They were randomly divided into 3 experimental groups in 3 replicates. Group 1 was given a diet containing neither raw nor roasted wild Afzelia africana seed meal (diet T₁). Diet T₁ is the control. Diets T₂ and T₃ contained raw and roasted Afzelia africana seed meal (AAM) respectively. Experimental design was randomized complete block design. The results indicated that the seeds of wild Afzelia africana can be fed as a source of protein to broilers. Feeding of raw seed based diets significantly (p< 0.05) reduced feed intake, body weight gain, apparent nutrient digestibility and profit margin of the broilers. The results were attributed, possibly to the effective of phytates and alkaloids contained in the A. africana seeds. It was recommended that for optimum performance of broilers, proper nutrient utilization and greater profit margin wild A. africana seeds should be roasted before feeding to broilers.