Growth Performance of broiler Chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus) on

Feed Diets Containing Cassava Leaf (Manihot esculenta)

TARLAC AGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE AND FOREASTRY
BACHELOR OF AGRICULTURE
MAJOR IN ANIMAL SCIENCE

JONATHAN O. MORALES

October 2021

INTRODUCTION

Poultry, through the provision of meat and egg continue to serve as an excellent and cheap

source of animal protein for Filipinos. The full potential of poultry products as a panacea to

insufficient animal protein intake of Filipino has not been achieved principally because of

inadequate feeds. Feed cost remains the major factor limiting the development and expansion of
poultry farming. The bulk of the feed cost arises from protein concentrates such as fishmeal,

soybean meal and groundnut cake.

This perennial problem has necessitated the search for alternatives to the expensive grains and

protein concentrates. Animal Nutritionists have therefore come to the conclusion that

replacement of expensive conventional feed ingredients with cheap and available substitutes

represents a suitable strategy at reducing feed cost and encouraging production. Many research

efforts were invested in the search for alternatives to soybean in poultry diets.

The results of some of these efforts are conflicting and variable. Most of the studies conducted

on lesser known oilseed meals indicated the need for further processing as most of them are

bedeviled by the presence of ant nutritional factors. Another major problem observed in the

search for alternatives to soybean meal is the fact that the alternatives are most often seasonal in

production and the quantity available is often too small for large scale utilization.

As a result it stands to reason that a viable alternative to soybean should not only be rich in

nutrients, relatively free from anti-feed ants but must be readily available in large quantities.

One possible source of cheap protein is leaf meal from some tropical legume and plants. Leaf

meal have been reported to provide protein and also some vitamins, minerals and

oxycarotenoids, which cause yellow color of broiler skin, shank and egg yolk.

Cassava is traditionally grown for the production of roots. However, the leaves have become

increasingly important as a source of protein for monogastric and ruminant animals. Cassava

leaves are rich in protein but they are low in sulfur amino acids (Gomez et al 1985; Phuc et al
2000). The leaf protein is reported to be limiting in methionine and tryptophan but rich in lysine,

with overall biological value of 49-57% (Frochlich et al 2001).

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This study will provide knowledge to the student, farmers, and entrepreneurs about the

effect of Cassava Leaf as a feed diet on the growth performance of a broiler chicken.

Objectives of the Study

This study will be conducted to determine and the response of cassava leaves on the

growth performance of Broilers.

1. To determine the effect of cassava leaves on the growth performance of broiler chicken

in terms of weight gain efficiency.

2. To determine the nutrients that cassava leaf will contribute on the growth of broilers.

3. To determine the best amount of Cassava Leaf that can give the best result on the growth

performance of Broiler Chickens.

Scope and Delimitation of the Study

The study will be conducted from March-April 2021 at Caanamongan Sta. Ignacia

Tarlac. The Carcass Yield evaluation will be conducted at Caanamongan Sta. Ignacia or at the

College of Agriculture and Forestry at Processing Laboratory.

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

 Eight feeding trials of 8 weeks duration were conducted to evaluate cassava leaf meal (CLM)

as a replacement for coconut oil meal (COM) in tropical broiler diets. Diets containing 0, 10, 20,

and 30% CLM that replaced COM were fed in Trials 1 and 2. Broiler performance was improved

at the 10% CLM level. However, 20 and 30% levels of CLM resulted in depressions in gain, feed

intake, and feed efficiency. Liver and spleen weights (percent of body weight) increased linearly

with increasing levels of CLM. Carcass pigmentation values, as measured by Roche color fan,

favored CLM-based diets. Results of Trial 3 showed that broilers can tolerate a level of 15%

CLM without adversely affecting their growth.

In Trials 4 and 5, supplementation of methionine improved the gains of birds fed the 20%

CLM diet but had no beneficial effect when added to the basal diet. All response criteria were

improved when 3% soybean oil was added to the basal or the 20% CLM diet in Trials 6 and 7.

Further addition of methionine had no effect on the performance of birds fed the basal diet but

improved growth of those fed the 20% CLM diet. In Trial 8, gains of broilers tended (P<.10) to

decrease linearly with increasing levels of cyanide; however, gains were reduced only 4.6% at

the highest level (200 ppm) of added cyanide, and there were no deaths. In conclusion, the use of

high level of CLM in broiler diets is limited by its bulkiness, low energy content, methionine

deficiency, and the presence of antinutritional factors.

On the study in Cambodia, Growing indigenous Cambodian chickens and ducks, and broiler

chickens and White Pekin ducks were fed diets containing 0%, 7%, 14% and 20% of cassava leaf

meal (CLM) to study the effects of CLM level on diet digestibility and gastrointestinal tract

(GIT) and organ development. The coefficient of total tract apparent digestibility (CTTAD) of

dry matter (DM) and intake of digestible DM decreased with increased dietary CLM. DM and

digestible DM intake was higher for local breeds than for the corresponding exotic breeds, and
higher for ducks than for chickens (p < 0.001), although there were no species or breed

effects on CTTAD of DM (p > 0.05). Weight of small intestine, caeca, gizzard and pancreas,

expressed as per kg body weight, increased with increased CLM in the diet (p < 0.001).

There was no consistent diet effect on liver weight. Length of small intestine and caeca,

expressed on a mass‐specific basis, increased with dietary CLM content (p < 0.001). When

expressed as per kg body weight small intestine, proventriculus, gizzard, pancreas and liver

weights, and small intestine length, were higher in ducks than in chickens (p < 0.001), and

were higher in the indigenous than in the improved breeds (p < 0.01), except for small

intestine weights, which were similar.

On the study conducted in Nigeria A 25-day feeding trial involving 120, 5-week old Anak

broilers was carried out in a completely randomized design to evaluate, growth, blood chemistry

and carcass yield of broilers fed cassava leaf meal at dietary levels of 0, 5, 10 and 15%

respectively. Feed intake, body weight gain, feed conversion ratio and the control (0%) leaf meal

were superior between the treatment groups.

On the study conducted in Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria Three hundred and fifty broiler

chickens (Anak, 2000) were used to study the effect of partial replacement of soya bean meal

(SBM) protein with cassava and or leucaena leaf meals. Diet 1 was the control diet with

soyabean meal but no leaf meal. Diets 2 and 3 had 30% and 60% SBM protein respectively

replaced with cassava leaf meal (CLM) protein. In diets 4 and 5, 30% and 60% of the SBM

protein respectively, were replaced with leucaena leaf meal (LLM) protein. The SBM protein in

diets 6 and 7 was substituted at 30% and 60% respectively with 50:50 CLM and LLM protein.

The birds were assigned to the experimental diets at 10 birds per replicate and 5 replicates per

treatment. The energy to protein ratios of the diets were similar. The response criteria measured
were feed intake, weight gain, nitrogen retention, shank and skin pigmentation, selected carcass,

organ and muscle characteristics and economics of production. The results showed that weight

gain (WG, 52.1±1.00 g/day) and feed intake (134±4.37 g/day) were higher (P0.05) for birds on

the control diet. Shanks of birds on leaf meal diets were more pigmented.

On the study Conducted in Ago - Iwoye, Ogun State, Nigeria With the objective of

investigating shrimp waste (SWM) and cassava leaf (CLM) meals as cheap alternatives and

protein source mixtures that would best complement cassava root-soybean ration in total

replacement for maize in broiler diets, six iso-energetic and iso-nitrogenous diets were evaluated

using two weeks old Anak broilers in a growth and digestibility trial lasting seven weeks. Diet I

was a maize-soybean based control diet while diets 2 to 6 contained whole cassava root meal

(WCRM) in total replacement for maize, energy for energy. Diet 2 had soybean meal (SBM) as a

major source of protein taking the protein supplied by SBM in diet 2 as 100%, SBM, CLM and

SWM were combined thus in diets 3/0.5SBM: 0.5SIM), 4 (0.5SBM: 0.25SWM: 0.25CLAI),

5(0.25 SBM: 0.5SWM: 0.25CLM) and 6(0.5 SWM: 0.5 CL11). Average daily feed intake,

weight gain (P< 0.01) and efficiency of feed conversion (P<0.05) were significantly influenced

by dietary treatments. Results indicate that replacing up to 50% supplemental protein of soybean

meal with equal proportion of supplemental protein from SWM and CLM had no deleterious

effects on rate and efficiency of weight gain in broiler chickens. While nutrient and energy

digestibility and carcass characteristics except dressing percentage were unaffected by dietary

treatment, there was indication that organs such as gizzard and small intestine were significantly

tasked for digestive function, evident from the considerable increase in their weights in birds fed

diets in which over 50% of soybean protein was replaced by SWM and CLM. Based on the

observation from this study, it can be concluded that not more than 50% of the dietary protein
contributed by soybean should be replaced by SWM and CLM as doing otherwise would bring

about a worsening effect on the performance of broilers.

METHODOLOGY

Experiment Designs and Treatments

A total of 30 day-old chicks were used and the chicks will be randomly distributed into

four treatments and each treatments was replicated three times with six birds per replication

The different feeding treatments were as follows:

Treatment 1 – Pure Commercial Feeds

Treatment 2 – 30g of Cassava Leaf Meal (CLM) + 500g of Commercial Feeds

Treatment 3 – 50g of Cassava Leaf Meal (CLM) + 700g of Commercial Feeds

Treatment 4 – 60g of Cassava Leaf Meal (CLM) + 1000g of Commercial Feeds

Preparation of Cassava Leaf Meal (CLM)

Dry a whole piece of Cassava Leaf, Powdered Cassava leaf will be mixed with

Commercial Feeds according to the given amounts.

Preparation of Cages

Replication

I II III

T4 T2 T1
 T3 T4 T4

T2 T1 T3

T1 T3 T2

Three big cages divided into 4 sections are made out of bamboo and Hexagonal Mesh

will be constructed in the space requirement of one square foot per bird. The cages will be

cleaned and disinfected before conducting the study.

Brooding Management

The chicks were brooded in the first 2 weeks of the study. Artificial heat will be given

using bulbs and the beddings will me made out of newspapers and cartons and will be

changed every day as part of hygiene and sanitation. The brooder cage was covered with

tarpaulins to avoid draft. The equal care and management will be given during this stage.

Water Management

Clean drinking water will be given mixed with water soluble multivitamins in a cleaned

water feeder to avoid contamination

Feeding Management
 The chickens will be provided with feeds mixed with CLM every day. Booster feeds will

be given to the chickens on their first 2 weeks, on their 15 th to 20th day they will be fed by

starter feed mixed with CLM. And finished feeds will be given on their 21 st to 30th day. The

CLM will be included on their diet except on the chickens in the Treatment 1 which will be

given with Pure Commercial Feeds.

Data Gathering

a. Initial weight – this data will be taken on the 1 st day of the study until their 15 th day.

b. Final weight – will be taken at the end of the study (30 th day)

c. Gain in weight – this data will be calculated by subtracting the initial weight from the

final weight.

d. Feed Consumption – this data was taken by adding all the amount of feeds consumed.

Average Feed Consumption

e. Feed Conversion Efficiency – FCE =
Average Gain∈Weight

Net Income
f. Return on Investment =
Total Cost of Production

LITERATURE CITED

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/

250645609_Performance_of_broiler_chickens_fed_diets_containing_cassava_leaf_Blood_

meal_mix_as_replacement_for_soybean_meal
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0032579119524701

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1439-0396.2005.00586.x

http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.521.6805&rep=rep1&type=pdf

http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.503.302&rep=rep1&type=pdf

http://njap.org.ng/index.php/njap/article/view/1796