Effects of Cooked Pigeon Pea seed meal on the performance, dressed and organ weight characteristics of broilers

Seeds of pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) grown in Enugu State in the South East Agricultural zone of Nigeria were studied to determine its effect on performance, dressed weight and organ weight characteristics of broilers. The dry, brown coat coloured pigeon pea seeds were cooked in boiling water for 60minutes, sun-dried, made into a meal and stored in feed bags. The cooked pigeon pea seed meal (CPSM) at 0, 20, 30, 40, and 50% dietary levels replaced 0, 40, 60, 80 and 100% of soybean meal and 0, 20, 30, 40 and 50% of maize, respectively in formulated broiler starter diets. CPSM also replaced 0, 50, 75 and 100% of soybean meal and 0, 18.18, 27.27, 36,36 and 54.54% of maize, respectively in formulated broiler finisher diets. The formulated broiler starter and finisher diets were fed to 7 - day old hubbard broilers in two successive regimes of 28 days each, for the starter and finisher phases respectively. At 63 days of age, 3 broilers of comparable live weights per replicate were selected, starved of feed for 12 hours, slaughtered and eviscerated to determine the dressed weights and internal organ weights. Broilers fed 0% CPSM diet recorded significantly (P<0.05) higher live weight gains than those on CPSM diets except broilers fed 20% CPSM. Feed intake was significantly (P<0.05) higher among broilers fed 50%CPSM diet and significantly (P<0.05) lower among birds on the control (0%CPSM) diet. Results obtained also indicated a significant (P<0.05) difference in dressed weight between birds fed CPSM diets and the control diet (0%CPSM). Birds fed 20% CPSM diet recorded the highest dressed weight. Liver weight decreased progressively with increasing dietary inclusion level of CPSM with birds fed 50% CPSM diet recording significantly (P<0.05) lower weights. Weight of gizzard was also significantly (P<0.05) lower for birds fed 50% CPSM diet. Heart and spleen weights followed a similar pattern with birds fed 20%CPSM diet recording significantly (P<0.05) higher weights for heart and lower weight for spleen respectively, It would appear that dietary CPSM tend to improve the dressed weight of broilers.