Effect of replacement of maize by different levels of sorghum on the production performance of broiler chicken

Abstract

An experiment was conducted with 200 day-old Cobb-500 straight-run broiler chicks were fed five different dietary diets where 0%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% Sorghum replaced with maize based diets. The feeding trial was conducted for a period of 35 days at Youth Training Centre, Poultry Farm, Sylhet. All birds were divided into 5 groups and assigned to dietary treatments; T1= Control diet (100% dietary maize) or 0% without sorghum; T2= 75% dietary maize was replaced by 25% dietary sorghum; T3= 50% dietary maize was replaced by 50% dietary sorghum; T4= 25% dietary maize s was replaced by 75% dietary sorghum; T5= 0% dietary maize (without maize) 100% dietary sorghum. Weight gain was significantly (P<0.05) higher in groups fed T3 (50% Sorghum) diet and lower in group fed T5 (100% Sorghum). Feed consumption was significantly higher (P<0.05) in broilers fed T3 (50% Sorghum) diet lower in group T5 (100% Sorghum). Feed conversion ratio was higher in group T5 (50% Sorghum) diet and lower in group T3 (100% Sorghum). Survivability % of birds varied as 97.14 to 100% among treatments during 7-35 days. The highest Survivability (100%) was recorded in T1, T3, T4 and T5 and lowest (97.14) in T2 at 7-35 days. Feed cost per kg live broiler production at different levels of sorghum in maize based diet are varied Tk. 54.70 to 87.01 during 7-35 days. Feed cost gradually increase with the advancement of ages at T1, T2, T3, T4 and T5. There was no significant difference in feed cost among the treatment except at 35 days. T5 showed the highest feed cost at 7, 21, 28 and 35 days. T3 showed the lowest feed cost from 21 to 35 days. Among meat yield characteristic dressing % of bird in different treatment and weight of head, drumstick, thigh, wing, gizzard and spleen did not differ significantly (non significant) but the weight of shank, breast, abdominal fat and liver weight differ significantly. Therefore, most economical weight was attained by broilers fed on diet T3 (50% Sorghum). It was concluded that sorghum can be replaced up to 50 percent of maize which was cost effectiveness.