SUPPLY OF Tithonia diversifolia SILAGE ALONE OR MIXED WITH CASSAVA BRAN IN BROILERS DIET

Abstract

Tithonia diversifolia and cassava bran are two food resources that noted for their protein and energy levels, respectively. The aim of this study was to evaluate the response performance of broilers fed diets containing T. diversifolia silage alone or mixed with cassava bran. We used 150 females chickens, which were housed in 15 pens and each pen was assigned to the treatments according to a randomized experimental design. The treatments consisted of three diets that were supplied to birds between 35 and 56 d of age: a control where the birds were fed only concentrate and two other treatments in which the birds were supplied concentrate of control treatment and additionally offered T. diversifolia silage either alone or mixed with cassava bran. Silage supply did not affect live weight at 56 d of age, but resulted in a reduction in concentrate consumption (P<0.05) and the carcass weight (P<0.05). It was concluded that T. diversifolia silage can be used to decrease the consumption of concentrate, but is necessary to carry out a proper habituation to avoid decrease in dry matter intake.