The utilization of coconut sap distillery by-products (CDB) by broiler chickens was investigated in three feeding experiments. CDB contained, on average (g 100 g−1 dry matter): 27·1 crude protein, 2·3 ether extract, 4·9 crude fibre, 10·3 ash and 55·4 nitrogen-free extract. However, considerable variation in crude-protein content, from 20·9 to 31·7%, was observed between batches of CDB. Amino acid analysis revealed CDB to be a good source of essential amino acids.