Nutritional Content of Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) Seed Cake and its Growth Performance on Broiler Chickens

Nutrition is perhaps the most important factor in livestock management. In this regard, sesame (Sesamum indicum L), a drought-tolerant crop, is adapted to many soil types. Sesame seed has been included in rations for poultry and swine. This study aims to evaluate the growth performance and nutrient digestibility of broiler chickens fed diets containing graded levels of sesame cake. A total of 250 day-old Arbour Acres broiler chicks were used for the study. The birds were randomly allotted to five treatment groups, such that the mean live weight was similar. Each treatment consists of 50 birds, subdivided into five replicates of 10 birds each in a completely randomised design (CRD). There was a control treatment (T1) in which birds received feed containing no sesame cake, while the feed offered to other treatments (T2, T3, T4 and T5) contained 10 %, 15 %, 20 % and 25 % sesame cake, respectively.  All the diets were iso-nitrogenous and iso-caloric (23.5 % CP, 2800 Kcal/kg and 20 % CP, 3000 Kcal/kg M.E for starter and finisher, respectively).  Feed and water were provided ad-libitum. The result of the starter phase showed that birds fed the control diet (P<0.05) ate more feed than those fed the sesame cake diets. Weight gain fell as the sesame cake content of the diet increased. Feed conversion ratio (1.54) and protein utilisation efficiency ratio (2.81) were significantly (P<0.05) also better in the absence of sesame cake. While during the finisher phase, there were no differences in weight gain and feed conversion between treatments, and feed cost/kg weight gain (₦266.25) (P<0.05) was better for treatments fed sesame seed cake.  There were no (P>0.05) significant differences in the digestibility of nutrients during both starter and finisher phases. It was concluded that up to 25 % sesame seed cake can be used in the diets of broiler chickens without any adverse effects on growth performance, nutrient digestibility and profitability.