Growth Performance of Broiler Birds Produced in Four Different Rearing Conditions

Growth performance was monitored on broilers produced in four different rearing conditions which consisted of cage having direct exposure to the sunlight, A, cage having partial exposure to the sun, B, cage having no exposure to the sun light as the cage was surrounded by leafy Moringa trees, C, and deep litter pen, D. Four hundred commercial broiler chicks of 30 days old were reared in the four different rearing conditions for a period of two weeks. Each of the rearing condition had one hundred 30 days old broiler chicks. Five broiler birds in each of the rearing conditions were randomly tagged for daily data recording in order to obtain body weight gain, feed conversion ratio and production efficiency factor at the end of the study. Feed and water were measured and given to ensure uniformity. All routine health schedules recommended for broiler birds in Nigeria were strictly adhered to. Test results revealed that cage C produced the best result which had the highest mean body weight gain and mean production efficiency factor of 838g and 289.56, respectively. It was also revealed that rearing condition at all levels had a significant effect at P