Effect of Feeding Pullet Chicks Cotton Seed Cake with or Without Fish Meal Supplementation

Abstract

Two hundred and forty day-old black pullet chicks were fed diets in which Cotton Seed Cake (CSC) was used to replace soyabean meal at 0, 5, 10 and 15% in diet respectively; and the effect of supplementing such diets with fishmeal assessed. Eight experiment diets were used in achieving this aim during the 8 weeks feeding period. The chicks on the cotton seed cake replacement for soyabean meal had comparable (p>0.05) feed intake while the body weight gain and feed to gain ratio values were significantly different (p<0.05) to those of the chicks on the control diet. The feed cost kept declining with the higher levels of cotton seed cake in the diet. The chicks fed on fish meal supplemented diets had a better feed to gain ratio and profitability than chicks fed the zero fish meal supplementation. Protein retention kept decreasing as the level of cotton seed cake inclusion increased in the diet. Birds fed 1.5% fish meal supplemented diets had better protein retention. It was concluded that 15% of soyabean meal in pullet chicks ration can be replaced by cotton seed cake and supplementation of the diet with 1.5% fishmeal will improve performance.