1. PERFORMANCE AND HEALTH RESPONSE OF INDIGENOUS GROWING AND LAYING GUINEA FOWLS IN NORTHERN GHANA FED DIRECT-FED MICROBIAL
BY SARFO K. GOODMAN

2. Outline of Presentation
INTRODUCTION
Materials and Methods
Results and Discussion
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

3. Introduction
The use of antibiotics at sub-therapeutic levels have raised concerns about antibiotic residues in animal products and has been implicated in the development of drug-resistant bacteria in animals and humans (Landers et al., 2012; Castanon, 2007).

4. OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the effect of growth performance and health status of growing and laying guinea fowls in the guinea savanna environment

5. Experimental Location
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Experimental Location
The experiment was conducted at the Tamale Air Force Base (AFB) guinea fowl project site and Tamale is the regional capital of northern region.

6. Experimental Animals and Design
One hundred and fourty-four (144) 10 weeks old guinea fowls were randomly allotted to 4 treatment groups in a completely randomized design.
Each treatment, consisting of 36 birds were replicated three times with 12 birds (10females:2males) per replicate for 35 weeks

7. TREATMENTS
Four (4) frequency regime which include:
control,
daily,
3 consecutive days per week (CDW)
7-days repeated every other week (DREOW) of DFM at 1.5ml/L through water

8. Experimental diet and water
The basal diet was formulated to be iso-caloric and iso-nitrogenous at 12.14MJ/kg of ME and 16% CP respectively

9. Table 1: COMPOSITION OF EXPERIMENTAL DIET FOR GROWING GUINEA FOWLS (1-8WEEKS)
FEED INGREDIENT
PERCENTAGE INCLUSION
Maize
554
Fishmeal 41
Soybean
100
Wheat bran
250
Dicalcium phosphate 3
Vitamin premix 1
Salt
Oyster shell 50
Calculated chemical composition
Crude protein
1600
Metabolizable energy
2950
Crude fibre 42

10. CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
The laboratory studies were conducted at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) Hospital and the Spanish Laboratory of the University for Development Studies for the blood parameters and proximate analysis respectively.

11. Data collection and statistical analysis
Parameters to be measured include feed intake, water intake, body weight, body weight gain, feed conversion ratio, egg parameters, mortality and hematological and serum biochemistry data. The data obtained will be analyzed using GLM procedure of SAS 9.3 (SAS Institute Inc., 2014) at 5% significant level. Duncan's multiple range tests was used to compare the means.

12. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

13. Table 2: Analyzed chemical composition of compounded diet
Nutrient
g/kg
Crude protein
152.30
Ether extract
24.50
Ash
80.00
Crude fibre
55.00
Metabolisable energy(kcal/kg)

14. Table 3: Growth performance as affected by Antibiotics and DFM in guinea fowls at week 35
Parameterf
Treatmente
SEMc
P-Valued
Control
Daily
3CDW
7DREOW
ADFI (g)
76.5a
70.7b
73.6a
75.7a
0.9
0.007
ADG (g)
6.4b
7.9a
6.8b
6.2b
0.3
0.009
FBW (g)
1178.9b
1354.7a
1196.4b
1184.6b
40.6
0.044
FCR
7.3
4.4
6.2
0.8
0.147
Mortality (%)
13.9
5.6
8.3
11.1
5.4
0.728
ab, Means in a row followed by different subscripts differ significantly (P < 0.05).
c SEM= Standard Error of the Means
d P-Value= Probability Value

15. Table 4: Haematological indices of indigenous guinea fowls as affected by direct fed microbials and antibiotics application
Parameter
Treatmenta
SEMb
P-Valuec
Control
Daily
3CDW
7DREOW
White blood cells x103/µL
195.6
235.2
288.2
191.5
70.77
0.755
Red blood cells x106/ µL
2.6
1.9
2.3
2.62
0.26
0.269
Haemoglobin (g/dl)
12.5
10.8
14.8
15.8
1.39
0.118
Hematocrit (%)
34.1
30.1
38.3
42.2
4.40
0.316
Mean Cell volume (fL)
142.1
158.8
164.4
162.4
8.49
0.304
Mean Cell Haemoglobin (pg)
52.1
58.6
63.8
61.4
4.87
0.413
MCHC g/dL
36.5
36.7
38.6
37.7
1.69
0.791
Platlets x103/µL
15.0
17.0
4.8
4.5
5.20
0.275
Lymphocytes %
32.1
48.7
32.5
24.36
0.950
Mixed cells %
7.5
5.0
6.4
2.13
0.877
Neutrophylls %
60.4
46.3
61.2
61.1
22.36
0.954
Lymphocyte number x103/µL
Mixed cells number x103/µL
Neutrophyls number x103/µL
RDW_CVRU (%)
15.9
14.6
14.3
1.71
0.869
PDW (fL)
2.8
3.5
1.3
0.8
1.29
0.444
MPV fL
9.8
10.1
10.6
10.0
0.42
0.534
P_LCR (%)
26.3
31.3
32.9
30.2
3.06
0.513

16. Table 5: Serum biochemical indices of indigenous guinea fowls
Parametere
Treatment
SEM
P-Value
Control
Daily
3CDW
7DREOW
Albumin (g/l)
18.7b
23.6a
18.9b
18.5b
1.06
0.024
Globulins(g/l)
25.1
32.6
25.7
23.4
2.73
0.166
Total Protein (g/l)
43.8ab
56.3a
44.5ab
41.9b
3.74
0.092
Cholesterol (mmol/l)
7.3
4.2
4.5
5.9
0.84
0.103
Triglycerides (mmol/l)
1.3
1.1
1.9
2.8
0.77
0.449
HDL Cholesterol (mmol/l)
3.4
2.7
2.5
0.34
0.292
LDL Cholesterol (mmol/l)
3.2a
1.4b
1.6b
2.0b
0.33
0.017
VLDL Cholesterol (mmol/l)
0.6
0.1
0.29
0.122
Coronary Risk (ratio)
2.2
3.3
3.0
0.193
e HDL=high-density lipoprotein; LDL=low-density lipoprotein; VLDL= Very low-density lipoprotein

17. Table 6: Effect of Antibiotics and DFM on Carcass parameters
Parameter
Treatment
SEM
P-Value 1 2 3
Live weight (g)
1116.8b
1338.5a
1188.0b
1158.3b
45.3
0.04
Bled weight (g)
1075.2
1273.5
1146
1113.5
51.4
0.12
Defeathered weight (g)
1009
1179.5
1045.8
1023
46.2
0.10
Dress weight (g)
834.2
947.8
904.2
854.2
33.9
0.16
Shank weight (g)
24.0b
27.1a
26.8a
24.7b
0.6
0.02
Neck weight (g)
40.8c
52.5a
51.8ab
44.2bc
2.4
Head weight (g)
31.2
32.3
34.3
1.4
0.37
Liver weight (g)
15.7
20.3
16.7
15.2
2.2
0.41
Heart weight (g) 6
7.5
0.5
0.09*
Full gizzard (g)
44.2
40.0
32.0
3.2
0.06*
Empty gizzard (g) 19
29.2
27.8
23.7
3.5
0.24
Full intestine (g) 45
56.7
33.2
5.8
0.11
a-c Value within the same row followed by different subscripts differ significantly (p<0.05). *nearly significant

18. Table 7: Effect of Antibiotics and DFM on Egg parameters
Parameter
Treatment
SEM
P-Value 1 2 3
Egg weight (g)
31.4c
35.6a
32.4b
32.8b
0.30
<.0001
Egg length (mm)
44.1
45.1
45.4
45.6
0.43
0.135
Egg width (mm)
34.5
35.4
35.3
0.35
0.267
Egg shell weight (g)
5.4
5.1
6.0
0.24
0.123
Egg shell thickness (mm)
4.2
4.0
3.1
0.79
0.726
Albumin height (mm)
5.8
5.7
5.5
0.57
0.954
Albumin width (mm)
53.1
53.7
50.8
50.9
1.48
0.441
Albumen weight (g)
18.1
17.0
0.77
0.352
Haugh unit
85.7
84.5
83.3
82.3
3.31
0.895
Yolk weight (g)
8.8
8.9
9.4
8.5
0.40
0.513
Yolk height (mm)
12.5
13.0
14.5
14.0
0.62
0.165
a-c Value within the same row followed by different subscripts differ significantly (p<0.05).

19. Table 9: Average weight of first egg, age and weight at first egg
Parameter
Treatment
SEM
P- Value 1 2 3
Age at first egg (days)
120.0
116.7
121.0
127.7
3.67
0.269
Weight at first egg (g)
849.7b
964.0a
846.7b
829.1b
22.33
0.010
Weight of first egg (g)
21.0b
27.0a
23.0ab
23.3ab
1.20
0.043
a-b Value within the same row followed by different subscripts differ significantly (p<0.05).

20. CONCLUSION
The results of the present study show that
DFM can be used in laying guinea fowls diets without any negative effects on their growth and productive performance.
DFM reduces feed consumption and efficiently convert them into body weight and egg.

21. 3. It has an added value of reducing serum blood LDL cholesterol concentration whiles increasing total protein significantly.
4. DFM can be used in the guinea savanna environments as a valuable alternative to the use of conventional sub-therapeutic antibiotics.

22. Recommendations
Further research would be required to assess the efficacy of different levels of DFM and mode of application in guinea keets production in the guinea savanna zone