CHAPTER 16: THE GROWTH PERFORMANCE, COST AND RETURNS OF FEEDING DIFFERENTLY PROCESSED YELLOW COCOYAM CORM MEAL ON TURKEY BROILER STARTER.

The daily rise in market price of maize as the main energy source in poultry production coupled with its scarcity raises an alert for energy ingredient diversification to other sources which however are compounded with antinutritional factors. Therefore, to harness the nutitional benefits of the alternative feedstuffs, some processing may be necessary in other to reduce the anti-nutrients to a tolerable limits. Present study was carried out to investigate the growth performance, cost and returns of feeding differently processed yellow cocoyam corm meal on turkey broiler starter. Cocoyam corms were cut into pieces, some were sundried raw, some were cooked and sundried and others were fermented for three days and sundried. The cocoyam corms were ground in a hammer mill to make yellow cocoyam corm meal. The differently processed yellow cocoyam corm meal was used to compound seven experimental diets represented as T₁0, T₂R₁₅, T₃F₁₅, T₄C₁₅, T₅R₂₅, T₆F₂₅, and T₇C. T₁0 represented the control containing 100% maize. R in T₂ and T₅ represented raw and dried cocoyam at 15% and 25% dietary inclusion level respectively. C in T₄ and T₇ represented cooked and dried cocoyam at 15% and 25% dietary inclusion levels respectively and F in T₃ and T represented fermented and dried cocoyam at 15% and 25% dietary 6 inclusion levels respectively. 7 groups of 15 turkey starter per group were assigned to one of the treatment diets in a completely randomized design (CRD). At the end of the 28 days feeding trial, performance indices result showed that there was no significant differences (P>0.05) in average weight changes, and average daily weight gain. Feed conversion ratio showed a significant difference (P<0.05). The best feed conversion ratio was T₆ F₂₅. The cost and returns on production showed that T₆ F₂₅ had high earnings for revenue and gross margin with reduced cost/kg weight gain. It was concluded that fermented cocoyam corm meal should be included in turkey starter ratio at 25% level due to its heavier weight gain, better feed conversion ratio, cost effectiveness and increased revenue and profit margin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]