ASSESSMENT OF NUTRIENT QUALITY OF FORMULATED FEED FOR SNAIL

Abstract

This experiment was conducted to assess the nutrient composition of compounded feeds on snail (Achachatina marginata). A total of seventy five (75) snails of average mass 105 to 115g were used for the experiment which lasted for 12 weeks. The snails were randomly distributed into five (5) treatments with three (3) replicate each containing five (5) snails. The experiment was arranged as treatments 1,2, 3, 4 and 5. The snails in treatments l, 2, 3 and were fed with compounded feeds containing maize, brewery dried grain (BDG), Wheat offal, palm kernel cake (PKC), Groundnut meal, soymeal, lysine, Methionine oyster shell, bone meal and growers premix. The protein level of these treatment (T1, T2. T3, T4) were 16%, 18%,20% and 22% respectively. The snails in treatment five (5) were fed with pawpaw leaf and served as control. The result of the experiment revealed that treatment 4 had the highest mass gain, shell length and shell width. The proximate analysis of the edible portion of the snail showed that, the snail in treatment four (4) had the highest crude protein and fat. There is no significant difference in the moisture and ash content of the edible portion of the snail in all treatment. The snails in treatment 4 had the highest calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P). But there is no (P<0.05) significant difference in the Zinc (Zn) magnesium (Mg) and iron (Fe) of the snails in all treatments. The result of proximate analysis of the feeds showed that treatment 5 (pawpaw leaf) had the highest crude protein, moisture and fibre content but low in fat. Treatment 4 is recommended for rearing snails since it produced the highest mass gain.