Abstract
Cottonseed oil sludge (CSOS) was evaluated as a feedstuff and compared with palm oil in broiler diets. In the first and second studies, 250 chicks were fed CSOS at 0, 2.5, 5.0, 7 .5, 10.0, and 12.5% in two experiments from one to five weeks and from six to nine weeks. The third and fourth studies utilized 375 chicks fed diets containing 0.5% and 10% CSOS or 0%, 5% and 10% palm oil in starter diets (0.5 weeks) and then finisher diets from five to eight weeks. Cottonseed oil sludge was found to have a chemical composition of 3.3% moisture, 0.38% crude protein, 98.4% ether extract, and 43.1 % free fatty acids. The metabolizable energy content was 7400 kcal kg-1. Dietary levels of up to 12.5% CSOS had no adverse effect on growth performance while it was found to be an effective dietary substitute for palm oil and a partial substitute for maize. The addition of CSOS or palm oil in the diet generally improved weight gain and feed efficiency.