GROWTH, HAEMATOLOGY, SEROLOGY AND CARCASS CHARACTERISTICS OF GROWING COCKERELS FED MAIZE, SORGHUM, M

In a semi-arid environment in Borno State, Nigeria, the response of growing cockerels was evaluated when given maize, sorghum, millet, and their mixtures as the main energy source. In a complete randomised design, 270 (270) seven (7) week old growing cockerels were assigned to six dietary treatments in groups of 45 birds per treatment replicated three times with fifteen (15) birds per replicate (CRD). The main energy sources in the treatment diets are 100% maize (T1), 100% sorghum (T2), 100% millet (T3), 50 percent maize and 50 percent sorghum (T4), 50 percent maize and 50 percent millet (T5), and 50 percent sorghum and 50 percent millet (T6). The study took ten (10) weeks to complete. All of the treatment groups had no significant changes in daily weight increase, feed intake, or feed conversion ratio (FCR). Final live weight and overall weight gain were superior (P0.05) in birds given 100 percent maize, 50 percent maize and 50 percent sorghum, 50 percent maize and 50 percent millet, and 50 percent sorghum and 50 percent millet. Except for lymphocytes, there were significant (P0.05) variations between treatment groups for all haematological measures, however the haematological values obtained were all within normal ranges for growing cockerels. Total blood protein, albumin, globulin, and alkaline phosphate were not significantly different (P>0.05) in serology. However, urea, creatinine, cholesterol, alkaline amino transferase (ALAT), aspertate amino-transferase (ASAT), total bilirubin, and conjugate bilirubin all differed substantially (P0.05) but did not follow any particular trend among the treatment groups. Dressing percentage and yield of breast, drumsticks, wings, neck, legs, and head had no treatment impacts. The findings of this study demonstrated that sorghum or millet, or their mixtures with maize, can be utilised in the diets of growing cockerels in Nigeria's semi-arid region without affecting performance.

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