Abstract:
The study was conducted to determine the effect of golden kuhol, rice middlings and soybean pulp on the growth of Banaba strain of native chicken. Specifically, it aimed to determine body gain in weight, feed intake and feed efficiency of the native chickens, determine feed cost to produce a kilogram gain in weight and to determine the morbidity and mortality of the native chickens given the experimental diets. This study was conducted at the BSU Eperimental Area, Balili La Trinidad, Benguet from February to May 2016. Forty 14-day old Banaba native chickens were used in the study. The treatments were distributed into two following the Completely Randomized Design (CRD). The treatments were: T1 and T2 with 70% rice middling + 30% golden kuhol and 70% rice middling + 20% golden kuhol + 10% soybean pulp, respectively. The banaba strains were fed ad libitum. Statistical analysis showed there were no significant differences in all parameters measured which include initial weight, final weight, and total gain in weight, average daily gain, and total feed intake and feed consumption ratio. The birds had a mean initial weight of 100.4 grams at 14 days of age and a final weight of 159 grams at 70 days of age. Over a period of 56 days of feeding trial, the birds were able to attain a mean total gain in weight of 58.6 grams and average daily gain of 1.05 g/day. The birds had a mean total feed consumption of 617.3 grams per head for a period of 56 days with an average feed intake of 11.02 grams. The birds had a mean feed conversion ratio (FCR) of 11.18 and a mean feed cost to produce a kilogram gain in weight of Php 182.27.
Based on the result of the study, the experimental diets have comparable effects on the growth performance of native chickens in terms of body gains, feed intake and feed efficiency.
The diet with 70% rice middling + 20% golden kuhol meal + 10% okara is more economical in terms of feed cost to produce kilogram in weight. The feed cost to produce a kg in weight in treatment 1 had mean of Php 178.70 while treatment 2 had Php 170.26
The poor growth of native chickens in this study is generally attributed to the low feed intake of the birds.
After 56 days of feeding trial, the native chickens were given broiler starter ration for 14 days to observe for compensatory growth. There was a drastic increment in their growth which means that the chickens have the potential for better growth when given commercial rations.
