Performance, muscle quality, hematology and serum biochemistry evaluation of broilers fed with varying dietary inclusion of activated charcoal
Keywords:
Performance,, Activated charcoal,, Broilers,, Muscle quality,, Carcass and Organ characteristic,, Blood parameter and Palatability.Abstract
The positive effect of Activated Charcoal inclusion on broiler production efficiency cannot be overemphasized. A total of 150-days old broiler chicks were used and raised under a deep litter system. The experiment lasted for eleven weeks due to pandemic at that time. Five diets were compounded with the inclusion of activated charcoal supplement at 0, 3, 6, 9 and 12% inclusion levels in a completely randomised design. Parameters evaluated include; performance characteristics, digestibility, carcass and organ characteristics, proximate and mineral composition of muscle, hematological and serum biochemical parameters, and palatability status of the poultry birds. Results showed that T5 (12% activated charcoal inclusion) of activated charcoal inclusion gave the highest significant (P<0.05) nutrients namely crude protein, crude fiber, ether extract, and dry matter respectively than T1, T2, T3, andT4. However, the ash content was highest at T2 with a value of 12.60%. Birds fed diet T5 performed better (P<0.05) with final live weight, body weight gain, daily weight gain, and feed intake with the significantly highest (P<0.05) value of 4350 g, 4349.14 g, 492.9%, 282.43% than T1-T4 respectively, and with a lower feed conversion ratio of 0.57 lower (P<0.05) than T1-T4. In digestibility parameters, T1 had the highest significant value (P<0.05) of crude protein at 39.06%, ether extract at 57.70%, dry matter at 91.24%, and NFE at 55,74% with lower crude Fiber of 38.70% than T2, T3, T4 and T5. For carcass and organ characteristics, T5 had the significantly highest values (p<0.05), except for the neck and thigh muscles. T5 had the highest proximate and minerals composition of broilers muscles (P<0.05) than T1-T4 respectively. The same was also observed for hematology status except for monocyte and heterophile (P<0.05), and for serum biochemistry status with T5 having (P<0.05) highest values than T1-T4. T4 and T5 had the highest palatability scores than T1 T4. T5, 12% of activated charcoal inclusion performed better than other treatments in all parameters evaluated. It was concluded that the addition of charcoal in the amount of 45 kg of finished finisher feed with 12% activated charcoal supplement of feed improved the performance of broiler chickens, including daily weight gain and a feed conversion ratio of 0.57.
