PERFORMANCE AND SERUM BIOCHEMICAL INDICES OF BROILER FINISHERS FED DIETS CONTAINING VARYING LEVELS OF PEANUT (ARACHIS HYPOGAEA) SKIN

ABSTRACT A 56 days trial was conducted to investigate the effect of diets containing varying levels of peanut skin on the performance and serum biochemical indices of broiler finisher fed diets containing varying level of peanut skin. A total of one hundred and fifty (150) broiler chickens were assigned into five (5) dietary treatments consisting of thirty (30) chickens per treatment, replicated into three (10 birds per replicate) in a completely Randomized Design. The broiler chicken were raised from day old with a commercial feed until the 4th week of the commencement of the experiment before introducing the feeding trial of varying levels of roasted and unroasted peanut skin (0%, 2.5%, 5.0% roasted and 2.5%, 5.0% unroasted) to represent five (5) treatment. At the end of the feeding trial, three bird’s (3) were randomly selected from each replicate. For serum biochemical analysis (five) 5ml sterilize needle and syringe, 2.0ml of blood sample was collected via their jagular vein into a sterile sample bottle and was transported to the laboratory for serum analysis. Data collected were subjected to one way analysis of variance (ANOVA) using SAS (2005) and means among the variable were separated using Duncan Multiple Range Test (DMRT). The result revealed that there was no significant effect. (p>0.05) on performance of broiler birds. The birds fed with 2.5% inclusion level of unroasted peanut skin had the highest value in final weight, weight gain, average daily weight gain and total feed consume while the chicken’s fed with 5% inclusion level of unroasted peanut skin had least value in final weight, weight gain, average daily weight gain, total feed consume and average daily feed conversion ratio numerically while chickens fed with 5% inclusion level of unroasted peanut skin had the lowest feed conversion ratio numerical value. The result obtain showed that there was significant effect (p>0.05) on the serum biochemical indices of broiler chickens except for total protein, globulin, creatinine, total cholesterol and urea. The chicken fed with 0% inclusion level of peanut skin had the highest numerical value in total protein, albumin, creatine and glucose. Significant difference was recorded for, Albumin, Glucose, Aspartate aminotransferase, Alanine aminotransferase and Alkaline phosphate. Albumin highest (P