Abstract:
Cowpea is a drought- and salinity-tolerant crop and is used as a multipurpose crop, with its grains and leaves being excellent sources of nutrition for both humans and livestock. An experiment was conducted with the aim of evaluating the effect of using cowpea seeds as a protein substitute on broiler chicken. In the experiment, a total of 50 one-day-old broiler chickens were reared with the objectives of determining the feed intake, weight gain, and palatability of cowpeas as a substitute for soybeans fed to broilers. The chicks were reared for a period of 6 weeks in a partitioned house. During this period, they were fed a commercial starter broiler mash diet until they were 14 days old. The 50 chicks were divided into two samples: a soybean treatment sample of 25 chicks fed a diet containing soybeans as the main source of protein, and a cowpea treatment sample of 25 chicks fed a diet containing cowpeas as the main source of protein for the remaining 4 weeks of the experiment. The results indicated that feed intake and palatability, weight gain, and feed conversion ratio in the first two weeks of the experiment were the same since the birds were subjected to the same treatment of commercial broiler starter feed. In weeks 3 and 4, results showed that the feed intake was slightly higher in soybeans than in cowpeas, indicating that soybeans were more palatable than cowpeas. There was no significant difference in feed intake throughout the 6 weeks (P≥0.05). There was also a significant difference in weight gain for the broilers in weeks 3 (P≤0.05). However, there was no significant difference in weight gain for the broilers in weeks 4, 5, and 6 (P≥0.05). The feed conversion ratio was 0.89–1.23 throughout the cowpea treatment period. There was no significant difference in feed conversion ratio (P≥0.05) throughout the 6 weeks. These results indicate that cowpeas can replace soybeans at 100% without affecting feed intake or feed conversion ratio. However, weight gain was affected in weeks 3 of the cowpeas treatment period since the broilers were getting adapted to the formulated feed. However, more research is needed to compare the effects of cowpeas and soybeans on the broiler meat properties, including meat color, texture, and tenderness, as the study did not determine these parameters, which are of value to the final consumer.
