Use of Cassava in Chicken Diet

Abstract

Chicken production has negatively been affected by continuous increment in conventional energy-source feed ingredients due to the competition between human beings and animals globally. Cereal crops, their byproducts, and leftovers from households are among the frequently accessible sources of chicken feed. Poultry industry has been affected by a shortage and increasing cost of conventional feed resources. Various non-conventional feed resources have been reported to solve this problem. Tuber and root crops are among the alternative feed resources and can be substituted at varying quantities in chickens’ diets. Among the root and tuber crops that can be included in the diet of chickens is cassava. The tuber of cassava can be cut into chunks, dried, milled, or pelletized and added to the diet of chickens. It can also be added to the diet of broilers, and it can substitute 50% of the maize in their diet without negatively impacting their performance. Adding 40% cassava flour or 20% cassava peel meal to the diet of layer chickens is also beneficial for their ability to lay eggs. Generally, different parts of cassava can be included at different amounts in the diets of chickens.