A feeding trial was conducted in a completely randomized design to evaluate the overall performance, blood constituents and carcass analysis of 5-day old Marshal broiler chicks that are fed with different diets; maize diet with and without AA supplements and unpeeled cassava root meal (UCRM) diet with and without AA supplements; of four replicates each and 10 chicken per replicate. The birds were assigned to these diets; feed, and water was given ad-libitum throughout the experiment. The experiment lasted for 7weeks. Feeds given were recorded and feed intake and weight gain were determined weekly. Data on overall performance, blood constituents and carcass quality were obtained. The data was subjected to analysis of variance and means were separated using new Duncan’s multiple range tests (1995). The interactive effect of the diet showed that the feed conversion ratio of the birds that consumed the control diet with amino acid supplement was significantly (p<0.05) higher (1.98) than those that were fed the control without amino acid supplement (2.17). The interactive effect of the diet also shows mortality to be insignificant (p>0.05). The interactive effect of the diets was only significant (p<0.05) in relation to white blood cell. The bird fed UCRM had a significantly (p<0.05) higher white blood cell in their blood (6.03) than those fed the other diets. The interactive effect of the diet shows that’s the birds fed the control diet with fAA had a significantly (p<0.05) higher level of WBC (4.98) than those without fAA in their feed (4.89). The same also applies to those fed UCRM; the birds had significantly (p<0.05) higher WBC (6.03) than UCRM without amino acid (4.97). The interactive effect of the diet was not significant (p>0.05) on any carcass parameter. Although the control with amino acids group showed a marginally higher weight of cut- parts when compared to the group with amino acids supplements.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

CERTIFICATION

DEDICATION

ABSTRACT

TABLE OF CONTENT

LIST OF TABLES

CHAPTER ONE

1.0    Introduction

1.1    Justification

1.2    Objectives

1.2.1  Broad objective

1.2.2  Specific objectives

CHAPTER TWO

2.0     Literature review

2.1     Nutrient requirement of poultry

2.1.1  Energy requirement of broilers

2.1.2  Protein requirement of broilers

2.2.    Factors affecting broilers performance

2.2.1  Nutrition

2.2.2  Diseases and medication

2.2.3  House temperature

2.3.   Amino acids nutrition in broilers

2.4.   Origin, management and yield of cassava

2.5.   Cassava and its by-products in poultry nutrition

2.5.1 Cassava leaf

2.5.2 Cassava root

2.5.3 Cassava peels

2.6.   Composition of cassava root

2.7.   Cassava and performance characteristics of broilers

2.8.   Factors limiting the use of Cassava and poultry

2.8.1 Cyanogenic glucosides

2.8.2 Low protein content and effect

2.8.3 High fibre content

2.9    Economics of production

CHAPTER THREE

3.0     Materials and methods

3.1     Preparation of unpeeled Cassava root meal

3.2     Site of the experiment

3.3     Preparations of pen and equipment

3.4     Experimental birds and management

3.5     Preparation of experimental diets

3.6     Parameters measured

3.6.1  Feed intake

3.6.2  Weight gain

3.6.3  Feed conversation ratio

3.7.   Carcass characteristics

3.8.   Analysis

3.8.1 Blood analysis

3.8.2 Statistical analysis

CHAPTER FOUR

4.0   Result and discussion

4.1.  Result

CHAPTER FIVE

5.0  Conclusion and recommendation

      References