Tropentag, September 10 - 12, 2025, Bonn "Reconciling land system changes with planetary health"

Novel use of cassava peel and leaf composite as a maize replacement in broiler nutrition

¹Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Dept. of Animal Nutrition and Forage Science, Nigeria
²Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Dept. of Crop and Horticultural Science, Nigeria
³Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Dept. of Soil and Natural Resource Management, Nigeria
⁴National Root Crops Research Institute, Farming Systems Research Programme, Nigeria
⁵National Root Crops Research Institute, Farming Systems Research Program, Nigeria

Abstract

The rising cost of maize, a key energy source in poultry diets, highlight the urgent need for sustainable, cost-effective, and locally sourced feed alternatives. Cassava, widely cultivated in Nigeria, offers significant potential as a maize substitute. Research was conducted in 2022 in the
livestock research facility of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike, Nigeria to evaluate the use of a composite cassava meal (CCM), a blend of peeled cassava peel meal and cassava leaf meal in a 6:4 ratio, as a partial replacement for maize in broiler chicken diets. A total of 200-day-old Ross 308 broiler chicks were randomly assigned to five dietary treatments in a completely randomised design, with four replicates of 10 birds each. Diets included 0% (control), 10%, 20%, 30%, and 40% replacement levels of maize with CCM. All diets were formulated to be isocaloric and isonitrogenous. Broilers were raised for 42 days, during which feed intake, body weight gain, and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were recorded weekly. On day 42, two birds per replicate were slaughtered for carcass analysis. Results showed that birds fed a 10% CCM diet
achieved the highest final body weight (2,449 ± 36.5 g), followed by those on a 20% CCM diet (2,411 ± 52.8 g). However, significant weight reductions were observed at higher inclusion levels (30% and 40%), with the lowest weight in 40% (2,201 ± 48.2 g). The best FCR was recorded in 10% (1.88), outperforming the control (1.96), while FCR worsened significantly in 40% (2.05) and T5 (2.10). Carcass dressing percentage and major muscle yields were statistically similar across 0%, 10%, and 20%. Notably, feed cost per kilogram of weight gain was lowest in 20%. These findings demonstrate that CCM can effectively replace up to 20% of maize in broiler diets without negatively impacting growth performance or carcass quality. A 10% inclusion yielded the best overall performance, while 20% offered the greatest cost savings. Therefore, integrating cassava tuber, peel, and leaf supports sustainable poultry production by reducing feed costs and enhancing local feed resource utilisation. Further studies should investigate enzymatic treatments to improve nutrient availability at higher inclusion rates.

Keywords: Alternative energy source, broiler chickens, carcass quality, cassava, feed efficiency, food security

Contact Address: Ikedichukwu Adindu, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Dept. of Animal Nutrition and Forage Science, Umudike/Umuahia, Nigeria, e-mail: ikedichukwuadindugmail.com