ÑABSTRACT

  A 14 week feeding trial was conducted using one hundred and twenty eight point of lay Isa brown strain of pullets (16 weeks old) to evaluate the effect of feeding diets containing cassava root meal (CRM) with activated charcoal supplementation on their serum biochemical indices. Four experimental diets were formulated. The CRM was included at the rate of 25, 50, and 75% levels respectively to replace maize of the control diet. The birds were randomly allotted to four dietary treatment groups. Diet 1 was the control containing 0% of CRM. Diet 2, 3, and 4 had 25, 50, and 75% of CRM with 40g/Kg activated charcoal supplementation respectively. There were four replicates per treatment with eight birds per replicate in a completely randomized design experiment. Significant (p0.05) were observed in the triglyceride, aspartate amino transferase and alkaline phosphatase across all treatments. It can be concluded from the study that 75% of CRM with activated charcoal supplementation could replace maize without any adverse or deleterious effect on the biochemical indicies of laying chickens.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Title PageTitle pageDeclaration  iCertification  iiAbstract  iiiDedication  ivAcknowledgement  vTable of contents  viList of Tables  ix

CHAPTER ONE 1.0 INTRODUCTION  11.1 Objective of the study 21.1.1 General objective 21.1.2 Specific objectives 2

CHAPTER TWO2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW  32.1 Nutrition Requirements in Egg Layers 32.2 Feed Consumption of layers 42.3 Growing Period Nutrients for Layers 52.4 Nutrient Levels for Layer Diets 65

2.5 Composition of Cassava plant 72.6 Use of Cassava and Cassava by- products in poultry feeding 72.7 Cassava toxicity 82.8 Blood 122.8.1 Functions of Blood 132.8.2 Constituent of Blood 132.8.3 pH values 15

CHAPTER THREE 3.0 MATERIALS AND METHODS  173.1 Experimental Site 173.2 Collection and Preparation of Test Ingredient 173.3 Experimental Diets 173.4 Experimental Animals and Management 173.5 Blood Analysis 183.5.1 Procedure for Serum biochemistry 183.6 Chemical Analysis 203.7 Statistical Analysis 20

CHAPTER FOUR 4.0 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 214.1 Results 214.2 Discussion 226

CHAPTER FIVE5.0 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 245.1 Conclusion 245.2 Recommendations 24REFERENCES 2