Effect of season and diet energy content on the growth performance of guinea fowl (Numida meleagris) in a tropical area

Abstract

Two growth experiments involving guinea fowls were carried out for 15 weeks in Senegal. The first experiment was performed during the dry season with 198 young birds divided into 2 groups subdivided into 3 replicates of 33 animals. During the starting, growing and finishing periods, the groups were fed two diets: 2550 kcal/kg for the "low energy" diet (LE) and 2800 kcal/kg for the "control" diet (C). The second experiment was conducted during the rainy season following an identical experimental design. During the dry season, the C group mean liveweight was 1805 g at 15 weeks, and was significantly lower for the LE group with a 412 g difference between the two diets. During the rainy season, mean liveweights at 15 weeks were significantly lower: - 488 g and - 274 g for the C and LE groups, respectively, compared to performances recorded during the dry season. The liveweight difference between C and LE groups was significant during that season, but amounted to 198 g only. Feed intake was significantly higher in the C group during both seasons (18 and 8 g/day differences during the dry and rainy seasons, respectively). No significant difference was noted between the two groups concerning the feed conversion ratio, which, however, increased significantly during the rainy season (5.3 vs. 4.5 during the dry season). No death was observed during both experiments.