Utilizing Mud Crab (UCA Tangeri ) Meal as a Partial Substitute for Soyabean Meal in Broiler Production

Abstract

A study was undertaken to evaluate Mud Crab Meal as a partial replacement for Soyabean meal as protein source in broiler chicken production. One hundred and eighty unsexed day-old Cobb broiler chicks were randomly designed to four dietary treatment s in a completely randomized experimental design. Each of the treatments were replicated thrice with fifteen (15) birds per replicate. Different diets were formulated for broiler starter and finisher phases of feeding. The diet for the starter phase contained approximately 22% crude protein while the finisher phase contained approximately 18% crude protein. Crab meal was used as a source of protein to replace soyabean meal at 10, 20, 30% in treatment II, III, and IV respectively, while treatment I, had 100%  soyabean meal as source of protein and also served. Water and feed were supplied ad libitum. The parameters measured were feed consumption, body weight gain , feed conversion ratio,feed cost/ kg, cost of feed consumed/bird, cost of feed/kg weight gain and % reduction of cost of feed. This study shows that soyebean can be replaced by crab meal in the diets at 30% of substitution rate (on protein basis) without negatively affecting broiler performance.

Keywords: Broiler, crab meal and Soybean meal.