Abstract
The trial reported herein investigated the use of maggot meal as a replacement for fish meal in a cassava products-based layers diet. Old laying hens (50 weeks in lay) made up of two hybrids (Isa Brown and Black Nera) were randomly allotted to five iso-energetic and iso-nitrogenous experimental diets such that each dietary treatment was replicated three times with two birds/replicate. All the diets contained whole cassava root meal (WCRM, 390.2-424.6g/kg) as source of energy with soybean meal (SBM) and cassava leaf meal (CLM) (plant protein sources) supplying 50% and 25% of the total dietary protein respectively. The experimental treatment consists of fish meal (FM) and maggot meal (MM) as animal protein sources supplying the remaining 25% of the total dietary protein. Additionally, in diet 1 (FM and MM supplied 25.0 and 0% of dietary animal protein respectively), diet 2 (FM and MM supplied 18.75 and 6.25% of dietary animal protein respectively), diet 3 (FM and MM supplied 12.50 and 12.50% of dietary animal protein respectively), diet 4 (FM and MM supplied 6.25% and 18.75% of dietary animal protein respectively) while in diet 5 (FM and MM supplied 0 and 25.0% of dietary animal protein respectively). The diets were fed over an eight-week period. Average daily feed intake, weight gain and feed conversion ratio were not significantly affected (P>0.05) by dietary treatment although breed of laying bird significantly affected (P<0.05) these indices. Hen-day egg production was significantly influenced (P<0.05) by dietary treatments. Of all egg quality characteristics investigated, only shell thickness and shell weight were significantly (P<0.05) affected by dietary treatment and breed. In conclusion, the results of this experiment indicated that maggot meal holds promise as a replacement for fish meal in cassava root-cassava leaf- based diets as it could replace 50% of the dietary animal protein supplied by fish meal without deleterious effects on egg production and shell strength.
