Effects of cassava root meal on the growth performance, apparent nutrient digestibility, organ and intestinal indices, and slaughter performance of yellow-feathered broilers

Abstract

Abstract To investigate the effects of cassava root meal (CRM) on the growth performance, apparent digestibility, and organ and intestinal indices of broilers. A total of 140 one-day-old chicks were randomly assigned to one of four dietary treatment groups [control diet (CT), 15% CRM (CRM15), 30% CRM (CRM30), and 45% CRM (CRM45)] with five replicates of seven birds per replicate. The Results showed that the body weight of broilers in the CRM groups was significantly lower than that in the CT group at 21 and 42 days of age, and the average daily gain and average daily feed intake in the CRM group were significantly lower than those in the CT group from 1 to 21 days of age. However, from days 22 to 42, there were no significant differences between CRM15 and CT birds regarding average daily gain and average daily feed intake. but there was no difference in feed conversion rate between the CRM15 and CT groups. At 42 days of age, there were no significant differences between CRM15 and CT birds in in body measurements, the slaughter performance and semi-evisceration ratio. The addition of CRM reduced the proportion of breast and thigh muscles during the feeding period, although we detected no significant difference between CRM15 and CT regarding the apparent digestibility of nutrients. Collectively, our findings indicate that 15% cassava was the optimal proportion for supplementing diets for broiler production.