Cassava Fiber Meal and Roxazyme® G2 Supplementation on the Performance and Haemato-Biochemical Profile of Broiler Chickens

This study assessed the effects of cassava fiber meal (CFM) and Roxazyme (R) G2 supplementation on per-formance and haemato-biochemical indices of broiler chickens in a feeding trial that lasted for 56 days. A batch of 360 day-old male Arbor Acres chicks of mean weight 390 +/- 8.04 g was allotted to 12 dietary treat-ments of 5 replications of 6 birds to a replicate in a completely randomized design of 4 x 3 factorial treat-ments. The CFM was substituted for maize at 0, 20, 40, and 60% levels. Each level was supplemented with Roxazyme (R) G2 at 0, 100, and 200 mg kg-1. The growth performance, carcass traits, relative organ weights, and haemato-biochemical profile of the broiler chickens were analyzed using General Linear Model (GLM) procedures. Results showed that CFM up to 40% did not decrease weight gain but at 60% substitution level, weight gain decreased significantly (P < 0.05) during the starter and finisher period. Broiler chickens fed diets containing 60% CFM had lower eviscerated weight but higher liver and kidney weights compared with those fed the control and up to 40% CFM in place of maize. Eosinophil and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) are the haemato-biochemical parameters that were influenced (P < 0.05) at higher CFM substitution with or without enzyme supplementation. The non-significant interaction in the performance and haemato-biochemical parameters of the birds showed the independency of the two factors (CFM and Roxazyme (R) G2 supplementation) under consideration. CFM up to 40% substitution for maize with or without Roxazyme (R) G2 is safe as an energy source in broiler chicken diet.