Effect of Feed Type on Performance of Nera Black Hens in the Humid Tropical Environment

A twelve-week study was conducted to determine the effect of feed type on performance of Nera black hens in the humid tropical environment. One hundred and twenty (120) Nera Black hens of 28 weeks of age were used for the study at the Poultry Unit of the Department of Animal Science Teaching and Research Farm, University of Nigeria, Nsukka between March and July, 2012. The hens were divided into five groups of 24 hens each and each group was randomly assigned to one of five experimental diets (self-compounded layers’ diet ‘B’ and four commercial layers’ diet A ‘reference diet’, C, D, and E, respectively). Each diet constituted a treatment and each treatment was replicated thrice with 8 birds per replicate. Each hen in a replicate received about 130g of layers’ mash daily and ad libitum supply of water for the twelve weeks. Results showed that the final body weight, hen day production, average daily feed intake and feed conversion ratio, average egg weight, egg shell thickness and egg shell weight were significantly (P<0.05) influenced by treatments, while treatments had no significant (P>0.05) effect on average body weight gain, egg diameter, egg length and egg shape index. Birds that consumed homemade diet (B) had significantly (P<0.05) higher average egg weight than those fed the commercial diets which had similar mean egg weights. While some internal egg parameters were significantly (P<0.05) affected by treatments, others were not affected. Although dozens of eggs produced per bird and revenue from dozens of eggs produced were not significantly (P>0.05) influenced by treatments, total feed consumed, cost of feed consumed and gross profit were significantly (P<0.05) influenced by treatments. It was concluded that the use of homemade diet resulted in better performance than the use of commercial diets in the present study.