EFFECT OF MONO-COMPONENT PROTEASE ON GEOWTH AND PERFORMANCE OF BROILER CHICKEN

Abstract

This experimental study was conducted to investigate the effects of diets and enzyme supplementation on the live weight (LW), feed intake (FI), feed conversion ratio (FCR), viability, blood metabolites, meat yield traits, and cost of production of broilers. In a 2 × 2 factorial experiment, having two diet types [maize-soya (MS) based and maize-wheat-soya (MWS) based] and two enzymes levels (with or without), broiler chicks (n=112; Cobb500) were assigned to four dietary treatments (MS-, MS+, MWS- and MWS+) with four replicates, seven chicks per replicate in a CRD. The chicks were fed on the ready-made broiler diet up to 14d, after that formulated diets were supplied the birds ad libitum up to 33d. All the diets were iso-caloric and iso-nitrogenous in nature, and supplemented with or without enzymes in mash form. Data revealed that diets (MS- and MWS-) had no significant effect (P>0.05) on the LW, FI and FCR of broilers, but enzyme diets (MS+ and MWS+) improved (P<0.5; P<0.01) the LW, FI and FCR on day 33. Enzyme, diet and their interaction had no influence (P>0.05) on the viability of broiler. The results of dressing percentage, thigh weight, breast weight, abdominal fat content of broilers were affected (P>0.05) by enzyme only except for drumstick weight. Diet and enzyme and diet had no influence (P>0.05) over the breast weight, but its interaction influenced (P<0.05) the breast weight (%) of birds. Only liver and pancreas weights were increased (P<0.05) by enzyme diet, but the diet and its interaction had no influence (P>0.05) over the gastro-intestinal organs of the broiler. The data showed that diet and interaction had no significant effect (P>0.05) on the blood profiles of broiler except for triglyceride (TG), which is influenced (P<0.05) by dietary treatment only. Only glucose (Glu) level was increased (P<0.01) by enzyme diet. Apart from this, TG (P<0.087) and uric acid (P<0.09) were also slightly influenced by enzyme supplemented diet. The results of intestinal morphometric measurements i.e villus height (VH), crypt depth (CD) , villus width , VH: CD ratio, and surface area of broilers were increased by enzymatic diet, diet and interaction had no significant effect (P>0.05) over this gut morphology. Total cost of production (Tk/Kg live broiler) was significantly (P<0.05) less for the birds fed enzyme-supplemented diets (MS+, MWS+). Higher (P<0.01) profit margin was obtained for the supplemented dietary group. It could be concluded that broilers might respond positively to enzymatic diets under farming condition.