Effects of Replacing Maize by Proso Millet on Performance of Broiler Chickens

The continual rise in the cost of poultry feed ingredients, the fluctuations in price and the comparatively insufficient maize supply have prompted a search for less expensive alternatives. This research study was carried out to investigate the impact of a partial or total replacement of maize with proso millet on performance parameters of broiler chickens, including live body weight, feed conversion ratio, mortality rate and carcass yield. An experiment was carried out using 160 one-day-old broiler chicks of a commercial breed. The chicks were randomly assigned to 5 groups of 32. They consumed different isoprotein and isocaloric diets in which maize was replaced by proso millet at 0, 25, 50, 75, or 100% inclusion rates as T1, T2, T3, T4 and T5. Results showed that all broiler chickens fed on diets containing different rates of millet instead of maize significantly improved live body weight, feed conversion ratio, and carcass yield for females and males compared to T1. Additionally, it was observed that there was a significant decrease in the relative weight of the liver for females and males compared to T1. The use of millet in diets did not negatively affect the broilers’ health, and the mortality rate was low throughout the experiment. These results confirmed that maize could be replaced by proso millet in broiler chicken diets up to 100%.