Proximate composition of offal and drumsticks of guinea fowl (Numida meleagris) fed mophane worm and various cereal based diets

Abstract

Two studies were carried out to investigate the effects of feeding mophane worm as a protein source and cereals as energy sources on the chemical composition of offal and drumsticks of guinea fowl (Numida meleagris). In study 1, 96 one day old keets were raised under intensive management system in a typical poultry brooding unit in deep litter and randomly assigned to four dietary treatments (i.e., 3% fishmeal (control), 4.5% mophane worm meal, 9% mophane worm meal and 13.5% mophane worm meal). At four weeks of age, the keets were transferred to 16 pens with six birds per pen and four replicates per treatment. Birds were housed on concrete floor pens with wood shavings as bedding material. The floor space was about 0.06 m2per bird from one day to the end of experiment. At 13 weeks of age, all birds were sacrificed by cervical dislocation and thereafter offal and drumsticks were obtained and analysed. Proximate analysis was carried out on the gizzards, livers, hearts and drumsticks according to the AOAC standard techniques. Data were analysed using the General Linear Model (GLM) procedure of statistical analysis system (SAS®) software version 9.2 and least square means were reported. Dietary treatment had no effect (P>0.05) on the chemical composition of guinea fowl meat and offal at 13 weeks of age. The moisture content of gizzards from birds on 13.5% mophane meal was numerically higher (76.0±1.6%) than other treatments. Livers, hearts and drumsticks had 73.2±1.5%, 73.6±2.2% and 75.5±1.5%. The gizzards of guinea fowl fed 9% mophane meal had numerically lower (1.3±0.1%) total ash content compared with livers, hearts and drumsticks that had 1.33±0.1%, 1.27±0.1% and 1.28±0.8%, respectively….