Effects of a locally produced blood meal on performance, carcass traits and nitrogen retention of broiler chickens.
The study was designed as a 2 x 5 factorial arrangement with main effects of feeding blood meal as a replacement of 0, 25, 50, 75 or 100% of dietary fish meal and the duration of this substitution at 1-42 or 21-42 days of age. One thousand 1 day old male Cobb 500 broiler chicks assigned randomly to each of 40 floor pens (25 birds/pen) and were fed five isonitrogenous and isocaloric feeds formulated to contain 20.38 and 17% crude protein and 2900 and 3000 kcal kg(-1) metabolizable for starter and grower periods, respectively. Duration of dietary manipulation didn't affect the measured parameters. More than 25% blood meal/fish meal substitution ratios significantly increased chickens daily weight gain and decreased the cost of producing a unit of meat. Other traits didn't affect by dietary fish meal/blood meal replacement ratio. Spleen and proventriculus percents and small intestine length affected by level of replacement but didn't follow a distinct pattern. These results indicate that this locally produced blood meal is a suitable substitute for dietary fish meal and a full replacement didn't cause any adverse effect on performance, carcass important traits and dietary nitrogen retention of broiler chickens.
Seifdavati
J
J
Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran.
Navidshad
B
B
Seyedsharifi
R
R
Sobhani
A
A
D000821:Animal Feed; D000822:Animal Husbandry / Q000379:methods*; D000824:Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D000818:Animals; D002645:Chickens; D004032:Diet / Q000662:veterinary; D007492:Iran; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000378:metabolism*; D009751:Nutritional Requirements; D011200:Poultry; D011897:Random Allocation; D012995:Solubility; D014018:Tissue Distribution
D009584:Nitrogen