Evaluation of Corn-Duckweed Meal (Lemna minor) Based Diets as Practical Ration for Native Chicken (Gallus domesticus Linn.)

The study was conducted to determine the growth performance of the Rhode Island Red Chicken fed duckweed meal as a protein ingredient of the organic feeds for free-range chicken. The 75-day old experimental birds were subjected to the three (3) dietary treatments consisted with the control, 10%, and 15% duckweed meal of cornduckweed meal based organic chicken diets. The nutrient composition of the experimental diets was 14.0% CP, and 2639-2697 ME, kcal kg-1. The feed consumption, FCR, gain in weight, final weight, ADG, average cost per kg of LW produced, mortality rate, and haematology values which include: Hemoglobin (HGB); Hematocrit (HCT); Leucocyte count, Segmenters (Neutrophils) and Lymphocytes were the parameters used to evaluate the effects of the treated diets on the growth performance of the 75-day old Rhode Island Red. The results revealed that no significant effect was observed on the growth performance of 75-136 days old Rhode Island Red (RIR) as affected of the corn-duckweed meal-based feed formulation. Nevertheless, diets containing 15 % duckweed meal recorded to have the least FCR value of 5.23 and cost per kg of LW produced of Php 105.52/ $2.28. The haematological values were comparable among treatment groups. Further study to evaluate the efficacy of the same feed formulation to starter and grower chicks on digestibility of feed and carcass quality can be conducted.