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- Title
Effect of feeding broiler chickens with diets containing Alchornea cordifolia leaf meal and enzyme supplementation.
- Authors
Oloruntola, O. D.; Ayodele, S. O.; Agbede, J. O.; Oloruntola, D. A.
- Abstract
This study sought to evaluate the effect of Alchornea cordifolia leaf meal (ACLM) inclusion and exogenous enzyme supplementation on broiler chickens. Two hundred and fifty-two (252) arbour acre two weeksold broiler chicken were selected from a larger flock that had been brooded on deep litter and raised on commercial diet. These birds were balanced for weight and thereafter distributed into 18 pens of 14 birds each. These pens were randomly allotted to six dietary treatment groups in such way that 3 replicates were fed on each experimental diet. For the starter and finisher phase, six experimental diets were formulated and designated as 0-E, 5-E and 10-E for the diets without enzyme and 0+E, 5+E and 10+E for diets with enzyme. Diet 0-E and 0+E serve as positive and negative control respectively. The experiment was carried out using a 2x3 factorial experiment comprising of 2 enzyme levels (0 and 0.35 g/kg) and 3 ACLM inclusion levels (0, 5 and 10%).The final weight (FW) and weight gain (WG) were significantly affected by enzyme supplementation (p<0.05) while ACLM inclusion levels caused significant (p<0.05) decrease of 15.13% and 11.61% in the total feed intake (TFI) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) respectively in the broiler chickens. Enzyme supplementation significantly (p<0.05) increased the slaughtering weight, drum stick and thigh by 4.90%, 5.06 and 5.33 % respectively, while the ACLM inclusion level reduced the dressing percentage, drum stick, wing weight, thigh, breast and back significantly (p<0.05), decreasing by 17.63%, 25.95%, 10.72%, 9.85%, 21.27% and 19.41% respectively, as the ACLM level increase ranged from 0 to 10 %. The internal organs of the broilers were not significantly affected (p>0.05) by the main factors and their interactions except for the liver and proventriculus that were affected by the level of inclusion of ACLM. Red blood cells (RBC) significantly increased (p<0.05) while mean cell haemoglobin (MCH), mean cell volume (MCV) and monocytes significantly (p<0.05) decreased with an increase in the level of ACLM inclusion ranging from 0 to 10%. Enzyme supplementation caused a significant (p<0.05) increase in cholesterol and SGPT levels and a significant (p<0.05) decrease in SGOT. ACLM also significantly (p<0.05) affected the serum parameters considered, except for total protein, albumin, globulin, creatinine, bilirubin and SGPT in a way in which the increase of the ACLM level ranging from 0 to 5% and then to 10 % in the broiler's diets promoted the declination in the cholesterol, urea, SGOT and glucose levels. Furthermore, the interaction of enzyme levels and ACLM has a significant (p<0.05) effect on cholesterol and SGPT levels. Basing on the data obtained in this study, ACLM is a potential useful feed material for feeding monogastrics. Therefore, it is suggested that 10% ACLM inclusion level could be used in broiler production.
- Subjects
ENZYMES in animal nutrition; ANIMAL feeding behavior; BROILER chickens; ALCHORNEA; FEED utilization efficiency; ASPARTATE aminotransferase
- Publication
Archivos de Zootecnia, 2016, Vol 65, Issue 252, p489
- ISSN
0004-0592
- Publication type
Article