The effect of cassava chip quality on their use in poultry feeds
S.W.Yeong, C. Devendra, Dhiauddin M.N. and R.H. Booth
Abstract
Six diets, five containing 50% cassava chips of varying quality,were fed as finishing diets over a six week period to four week old broilers. The quality of cassava chips incorporated into the diets did not affect feed intake but did appear to influence feed efficiency. The presence of high salt concentrations, used as a preservative, in two of the cassava diets resulted in diarrhoea and increased mortality. Where salt treated cassava chips were stored for two weeks prior to sun drying the presence of a high salt concentration in the diet had no adverse effect of feed intake or efficiency but feeding similar chips stored for a shorter period resulted in reduced feed efficiency and toxicity. Further research is required to determine the nature of this toxicity caused when cassava is fed shortly after salt treatments, and the optimum levels of salt treated cassava in diets for poultry and other farm animals.
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