Abstract

Omole, A. J , Iji, O. T , Makanjuola, B. A , Fapohunda, J. B

A total of ninety growing snails of mean weight 91.23 ± 2.4 g were used to determine the effects of partial or total replacement of local fish meal as a source of protein with less expensive, chicken offal in the diet of growing snails. Completely randomized design was used for the study. The feeding trial had four treatments, C1, C2, C3 and C4 in which fish meal fraction of the diets was replaced at 0, 50, 75 and 100% with chicken offal, respectively. The parameters taken were weight gain and feed intake. Feed conversion ratio, total feed cost, and cost per weight gain were calculated. The trial lasted for twelve weeks. Significant differences were not observed in the mean weekly feed intake of the snails in all the treatments. The mean weight gain in all the treatments was not significantly influenced by the inclusion of chicken offal in the diet (P > 0.005). Total feed cost reduced as the level of the chicken offal increased while the lowest cost/weight gain was observed in C4. The inclusion of Chicken offal in all the diets had no detrimental effect on the animals in all the treatments. Based on the present results chicken offal could replace local fish meal in the diet of growing snail up to 100%.