Full Length Research Paper

Nutritional value of chicken offal as replacement for local fish meal in growing snail

Omole, A. J¹., Iji, O. T²., Makanjuola, B. A¹., Fapohunda, J. B².

¹Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Nigeria. Institute of Agricultural Research and Training Moor Plantation, Ibadan, Nigeria.
²Federal College of Animal Health and Production Technology, I.A.R. & T., Ibadan, Nigeria.

*Corresponding author. E-mail: omoleboye@yahoo.com.

Accepted 1 February ,2008

A total of ninety growing snails of mean weight 91.23 ± 2.4 g were used  to determine the effects of  partial or total replacement of local fish meal as a source of protein with  less expensive, chicken offal in the diet of growing snails. Completely randomized design was used for the study. The feeding trial had four treatments, C₁, C₂, C₃ and C₄ in which fish meal fraction of the diets was replaced at 0, 50, 75 and 100% with chicken offal, respectively. The parameters taken were weight gain and feed intake. Feed conversion ratio, total feed cost, and cost per weight gain were calculated. The trial lasted for twelve weeks. Significant differences were not observed in the mean weekly feed intake of the snails in all the treatments. The mean weight gain in all the treatments was not significantly influenced by the inclusion of chicken offal in the diet (P > 0.005). Total feed cost reduced as the level of the chicken offal increased while the lowest cost/weight gain was observed in C₄. The inclusion of Chicken offal in all the diets had no detrimental effect on the animals in all the treatments. Based on the present results chicken offal could replace local fish meal in the diet of growing snail up to 100%.

Key words: Snails, chicken offal, local fish meal, feed utilization, replacement.