Effects of 12-hour wetting of sun-dried cassava tuber meal on its HCN content, performance and hematological indices of broiler chicks

The efficacy of wetting sun-dried cassava tuber meal as a method of reducing its hydrocyanide (HCN) content and improving its nutritive value for broilers was investigated. Cassava tubers were peeled, chopped into pieces, sun-dried and then milled. Part of the sun-dried cassava tuber meal was soaked in water at the rate of 5 parts of water to 4 parts of the meal, thinly spread on the floor for 12 hours and then taken out and spread by the side of the tarred road and sun-dried again. The raw cassava tuber meal (RCTM), sun-dried cassava tuber meal (SCTM) and wetted sun-dried cassava tuber meal (WSCTM) were analyzed for cyanide content. Five diets were made, such that diet 1 (control) contained no cassava tuber meal; in diets 2 and 3, 75% of the maize in diet I was replaced with SCTM and WSCTM, respectively, while in diets 4 and 5, 100% of the maize was replaced with SCTM and WSCTM, respectively. Each diet was fed to a group of 30 one-week old broiler chicks for 4 weeks. Thereafter, the diets were adjusted to finisher form and fed for another 5 weeks. Blood was collected from the birds at the end of the feeding trial and hematological constituents determined. RCTM contained 800 ppm HCN, SCTM contained 50 ppm and WSCTM contained 10 ppm. At 100% replacement of dietary maize with SCTM, growth performance of the birds was significantly (p Animal Production Research Avancees Vol. 3 (1) 2007: pp. 1-5