Attitudes Toward Risk and Coping Responses: The Case of Food Crop Farmers at Agona Duakwa in Agona East District of Ghana

Abstract

The effect of fermentation duration of raw Bambara groundnut ( Voandzeia subterranean (L) on the growth performance, carcass quality and feed cost of finisher broilers were investigated. Two hundred 21 day old female Arbor acre broiler chicks were randomly divided into five treatment groups of forty birds each. The experimental design was a Completely Randomized Design with each treatment replicated five times with eight birds per replicated. Five test diets were formulated to contain no Bambara groundnut (C0) control or 15% of Bambara groundnut (BGN) either socked in water for 12 hours (F0) or socked and fermented for 12 hours, (F12), 24 hours (F24) and 36 hours (F36). Results showed that total feed consumption was significantly (P<0.05) higher with birds fed diet F0 compared with birds fed diet F12. The final body weight and total body weight gain were significantly (P<0.05) higher for the control diet (C0) compared to the rest of the treatments. Birds fed the control diet (C0) had improved fed conversion ratio (P<0.05) compared with the other treatments. Bigger liver and heart (P<0.05) were obtained with birds fed diet containing BGN (F0, F24 and F36) compared with the control (C0) and F12 group. The cost per kg weight gain ($1 USA = CFA 480 Francs) was significantly (P<0.05) lower with birds fed diet F0 compared with birds fed diet F12, F24 and F36 but comparable with the control (Co) diet. The result of the present study showed that fermentation duration had no significant effect on body live weight, weight gain and feed consumption ratio.