Use of wood ash extract and germination to improve the feeding value of Ugandan Sekedo sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) for broiler chicks

Three experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of treating Sekedo sorghum (SK) with wood ash extract on its feeding value for broiler chicks. Sekedo was either soaked in water and germinated for 26 h (WG), soaked in wood extract (AS), germinated after soaking in ash extract (AG) or left untreated (UT). The first experiment was a 1-week-long metabolism trial with SK constituting 980 g/kg diet. In the subsequent 4-week feeding trials (Experiments 2 and 3), the grain constituted 500 g/kg of the experimental diets, to make practical rations. Tannin content of SK was 44.9 ± 2.5 g catechin equivalents (CE)/kg on dry matter basis. Treatment of SK with wood ash extract reduced its tannin content and greatly improved its apparent metabolizable energy (MEn) value. In Experiment 2, there was a significant improvement (P < 0.05) in growth rate and feed efficiency of chicks fed the AG diet. Ileal digestibility of dietary protein and fat were significantly (P < 0.05) higher for the AS and AG diets than for the WG and UT diets. In Experiment 3, coefficient of ileal digestibility of dry matter for the UT diet was inferior (P < 0.05) to that of the AS and AG diets although feed intake and body weight gain were not significantly different.