Mafouo Ngandjou et al., 2011. Livest. Res. Rural Dev., 23 (4)

In order to study the effects of substitution of corn with cassava flour on broiler growth parameters, 320 one-day-old Starbro broiler chicks were distributed into16 pens of 20 birds balanced for the sex and the initial bodyweight (45.3±1,4g). Each of the experimental diets, FM0 (control without cassava) and 3 other diets FM50, FM75 and FM100 with respectively 50, 75 and 100% of maize replaced with cassava flour with particles size between  1 and 3 mm, was randomly fed to 4 groups in a completely randomized design. Feed and water were distributed ad libitum during the 49-day trial.
The FM50 diet induced the highest bodyweight (BW) with 2177±225g and 1763±194g respectively for males and females as compared with birds under diet FM100. Nevertheless, whatever is the sex, there was no significant difference (P> 0.05) between treatments FM0, FM50 and FM75 for BW. For mixed sexes, birds were heaviest with FM50 diet (P < 0.05) as compared with FM75 (1745±135g) and FM100 (1590±61g) and feed conversion ratio was best (2.26±0.17) as compared with FM100. However, there was no significant difference (P> 0.05) between treatments FM0, FM50 and FM75 for feed conversion ratio. Nevertheless, the FM50 diet produced the cheapest (P < 0.05) kilogram bodyweight (419±11FCFA) as compared with FM100 (462±24FCFA). It was concluded that under the conditions of the present trial, the performances of broilers fed a diet in which 75% of maize was replaced with cassava flour (40.5% in starter diet and46.5% in finisher) are not significantly different from that of control birds fed with a diet containing no cassava.