Evaluation of Manure Nitrogen and Ammonia from Broiler Chickens fed with Different Protein Sources

Manure Nitrogen (N) is volatile and lost in the form of ammonia (NH3) and N-containing compounds (NOx). Fraction of excreted N mineralized to NH3 during storage depends on time and to a lesser extent temperature. The study was conducted to evaluate fresh and stored manure N and NH3 levels from broiler chickens that fed different protein sources. Four hundred and twenty (420) broiler chickens were randomly selected and assigned into seven dietary treatments, each replicated three times with twenty chickens per replicate in a completely randomized design. Control diet (I) consisted of soy bean meal (SBM)-maize diet, diets II, III, IV and V composed of 20% SBM partially substituted with another source of protein; groundnut and roselle seed cakes (GNC and RSC) without multienzymes (E), GNC+E and RSC+E, diets VI and VII contained animal protein at 10%; grasshopper meal (GHM) and fish meal (FM). Body weight (BW), feed intake (FI) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) for all groups were recorded for 7 weeks. Data collected were analyzed and means were separated using Least significant difference (LSD). Results on BW showed that chickens fed FM, GHM and SBC were statistically (P>0.05) similar, GNC and GHM were not significant (P>0.05). Manure from group fed RSC+E had the least fresh manure N while those from GHM and FM had the least fresh and stored manure NH3 levels. Multienzyme inclusion in diets (GNC+E and RSC+E) significantly (P<0.05) reduced N levels from litter. The levels were also significantly (P<0.05) affected by dietary inclusion of other protein sources without multienzymes supplementation. Farmers can add 20 % SBM with FM, GHM, SBC and GNC in their chicken diets for higher performance, more so GNC+E, RSC+E, GHM and FM can be added with 20% SBM to reduce manure N and NH3 buildup in broiler chicken farms.