Pearl Millet as an Alternative to Maize or Sorghum in the Diets of Broilers in Sokoto, Nigeria

The performance of broilers fed maize, sorghum or millet as sources of energy was studied for 8 weeks using two hundred and seventy six day-old chicks. The birds were randomly allocated to three treatment groups, each replicated four times such that each replicate had 23 chicks. The study was divided into two phases i.e. starter (0-4 weeks) and finisher (5-8 weeks). Three diets were formulated for each phase. Maize, sorghum or millet was used as the major source of energy in each of the three diets for each phase. Data on daily feed intake, weight gain and mortality were recorded. Feed conversion ratio was later calculated using feed intake and weight gain records. Results showed that at the starter phase, feed intake and weight gain of broilers fed pearl millet was significantly lower (P<0.05) than those fed maize or sorghum. Feed conversion ratio was also better (P<0.05) for broilers fed the two cereal grains compared to those fed pearl millet. At the finisher phase however, there was no significant difference (P>0.05) in all parameters monitored. This indicates that pearl millet may not particularly be as suitable as source of energy for broilers at the starter phase as maize or sorghum. It is however a good alternative to maize or sorghum for broilers in the finisher phase