The effects of dried pulverized rumen contents on the performance, carcass and organ characteristics of finisher broilers

Abstract

A 42-day feeding trial was conducted to determine the effects of Dried Pulverized Rumen Content (DPRC) on the performance of finisher broilers. Five experimental diets were formulated such that diet 1 contended no DPRC and therefore served as the control diet. Diet 2 contains 2.5% DPRC, diet 3, 5%, diet 4, 7.5% and diet 5, 10%. Each of the diets was randomly assigned to a group of 30 4 weeks old Anak broilers. Each group was replicated 3 times to give 10 broilers per replicate. They were fed the experimental diets for 42 days. Data were collected on the feed intake, growth rate, feed conversion efficiency and rate of weight again. Carcass qualities such as dressing percentage, plucked weight, eviscerated weight, neck, wings, thigh weight/drum stick, heart, liver, and spleen weights and the economic effects of feeding the rumen contents to broiler finishers were also determined. There were no significant differences (p>0.05) in performance parameters measured across the different treatment groups. At the 10% inclusion rate, growth was however depressed. There were no significant difference (p>0.05) in the eviscerated weight of control and treatments 1,2 and 3 while it differed significantly from those of treatments 4 and 5 (p<0.05). The neck, wing, thigh and breast weights followed a similar trend. The relative weights of heart, liver/Gall bladder and gizzard were again not significantly different for treatments 1, 2 and 3 but treatments 4 and 5 varied significantly. No mortality was recorded throughout the 42 days trial and the cost of production of the finisher broilers decreased with increasing inclusion rates of the DPRC. Dried Pulverized Rumen Content could be included in broilers finisher diets at 2.5% to 7.5% levels.

Keywords: dried pulverized rumen contents, carcass and organ characteristics, broilers

Animal Production Research Advances Vol. 1(2) 2005: 97-101