Performance Characteristics of Cockerels Federal Different Commercial Feeds

An experiment was conducted for 8 weeks to investigate the performance of cockerels fed different commercial feeds from 8-16 weeks of age and also to examine the quality of the commercial feeds. A total of 240 Anak titan strain cockerels were used. They were raised on deep litter system using the open-sided wall poultry house prevalent in the tropics. The feeds were designated Vi, Ec, An and Na to differentiate them. Feed and water were supplied ad-libitum. The results indicated that the commercial cockerel feeds varied in their nutrient composition and were grossly deficient in their supply of micro-nutrients. The different feeds supported the growth performance, carcass values and organ proportions of the cockerels differently due mainly to the differences in their composition. Feed, Na with greater nutrient balance, higher protein and ash values promoted greater body weight, weight gain and nutrient utilization than others. It was recommended that cockerel diets with similar nutrient composition to that of Na feed should be preferred to others.