Replacement Value of Guinea Corn for Maize in Practical Diet Fed to Quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) Chicks

Abstract

A six week feeding trial was conducted to determine the replacement value of Guinea corn for maize in diet fed to 360, day-old quai chicks on deep liter. Four iso-nitrogenous (22 %Crude protein) diets incorporating graded levels (O, 15 27 and 42 %) o guinea corn as replacement for maize were used in the tria The ME evels of the dets ranged from 2700 – 2750 kcal/kg Each treatment was replicaed thrice. Feed intake, weight gain and feed/ weight gain ratio did not difersignificantly (P>0.05) among the treatments. Feedcost decreased across the treatments and was lowest for the diet in whch 42 % maize was replaced by guinea corn. Feed cost/kg weight gain was lower for diet B(15 % guinea corn) than for other diet tested. Results of this study indicated that a dietary crude protein level of 22 % and M E of 2700 to 2750 kcal/kg feed, of 42 % guinea corn based diet was suiable for growth o Japanese quail chicks.