Effect of dietary protein level on growth, survival and feed utilization in guinea fowl keets

Abstract

A study was conducted to determine the effect of dietary protein level on growth, survival and feed utilization performance of Guinea fowl keets. Artificial incubation of fowl eggs (n = 51) collected from selected farmers in Arua District was done to obtain experimental keets. Hatched keets (n=10) were then subjected to two dietary protein treatments (16 and 20% CP) with similar metabolizable energy level (3000 Kcal). Weekly data were collected on body weight, feed intake and survivability for a period of six weeks. Body weight and feed intake data were used to determine the overall body weight gain, feed intake, protein intake, energy intake. Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR), Protein Efficiency Ratio (PER) and Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER) were computed. Dietary protein level had a significant effect (p<0.05) on overall feed intake and protein intake between the two dietary treatments. Although keets fed on 20% CP diet recorded higher overall body weight gain (90.35 g/bird), overall feed intake (301.59 g/bird) and overall EER (1.08), dietary protein level had no effect (p>0.05) on body weight, feed intake, overall body weight gain and overall EER between the two dietary treatments. In addition, keets fed on a 16% CP diet recorded higher overall FCR (4.09) and overall PER (1.78) but dietary protein level had no effect (p>0.05) on Overall FCR and PER between the two dietary treatments. No mortality was observed and hence dietary protein level had no influence on survivability of the keets.