Poultry encyclopedia · NEXTEKCI School · Feed raw materials
Cassava (dried chips) and its limits
Cassava, plentiful in Côte d’Ivoire, is rich in starch and can provide energy in place of part of the maize. But it contains almost no protein, does not colour, and must be peeled and well dried to reduce its toxic compounds. It never replaces maize without redoing the whole formula.
Key facts
- Main role
- Energy (starch)
- Protein
- Very low, around 2 to 3%
- Colour
- Does not colour the egg yolk or the skin
- Danger
- Compounds that release cyanide (fresh root)
- Preparation
- Peeled, chopped, well dried (chips)
What it is
Cassava is a starchy root grown everywhere in Côte d’Ivoire. For poultry, it is used as dried chips: peeled roots, cut into pieces and dried, then ground into flour when the feed is made.
Cassava leaves contain protein, but also toxic compounds and a lot of fibre: their use is even trickier.
Its role in the ration
Cassava flour is almost pure starch: it provides energy, a little less than maize, and can replace part of it when maize is short.
But it provides almost no protein, fat or pigment, and few minerals. Every time maize is replaced by cassava, protein must therefore be added (oilseed meals, amino acids), the energy reviewed, and paler egg yolks and skin accepted. That is the nutritionist’s job.
The cyanide danger
Fresh cassava contains compounds that release cyanide, a poison. So-called "bitter" varieties contain more than "sweet" varieties, and the peel of the root is the most heavily loaded part.
Peeling, chopping, soaking or fermenting, followed by thorough drying, remove most of it. That is why only well-prepared, well-dried chips are used, never fresh cassava or large amounts of raw peelings.
Quality, presentation and storage
Poorly dried chips go mouldy quickly; dried directly on the ground, they pick up sand and soil. A good chip is white, dry and brittle, without black spots or a mouldy smell.
Cassava flour is very fine and dusty: a feed that contains a lot of it, given as mash, sticks to the beak, is eaten less well and creates dust. Pelleting partly corrects this drawback. It is stored dry, in closed bags, protected from insects.
Common mistakes
Replacing maize with cassava weight for weight without changing anything else: the feed becomes very low in protein and the flock does not grow. Feeding fresh cassava, peelings or poorly dried chips.
Believing that a "cassava" feed is as good as a maize feed because the birds eat it. The share of cassava in a feed and the supplements it requires are decided with a nutritionist or a feed manufacturer.