Assessing the Productivity of Broiler Chickens through Feeding and Detecting Heavy Metals in Poultry Diet

Abstract

The study was conducted to evaluate the productivity of broiler chicken through feeding of selective ready-feeds and detection of toxic metals found in ready feed received from the four different commercial feed mills including T1(Aman), T2(ACI), T3(Provita) and T4(Nourish feed mills) of Chattogram. Ready-made broiler starter and grower feeds were collected from these four different feed mills (T1, T2, T3 and T4) to appraise the broiler performance, feed quality and concentration of heavy metals in ready-made feeds. The assessment was made based on the visual observation of incoming feed, laboratory analyses and biological trial. In this regard, samples were collected from four feed mills for laboratory analyses and biological trial conducted fed on broiler, by raising birds up to 28 days of 84 broiler birds in the battery cages. Crude protein (CP), crude fibre (CF), ether extract (EE), ash, cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr) and lead (Pb) contents of feeds were analysed by laboratory assays. The statistical data of heavy metals of starter and grower feeds revealed that there was no significant difference (P>0.05) of heavy metals among treatment. For biological trial, a total of 84 of Lohmann Broiler Day old chicks were fed on compound diets in the age duration of day old to 28 days to compare the performance of broilers from different dietary groups. All the forms of feed were of identical (crumble and pellet) as well as same management and environment were provided for all the treatments. Data on feed intake (FI), live weight (LW), live weight gain (LWG), feed conversion ratio (FCR) and liveability were collected. The FCR of broilers differed significantly (P<0.05) between treatments on day 21 only, no difference (P>0.05) was observed in FCR of birds from d1-28 days. Birds fed T2 diet attained heavier (P<0.07) LW (1139.50 g/b) than that of T1, T3 and T4on day 21. The FCR values of broilers on T2 (1.36) and T3 (1.38) diet group found better (P<0.05) than those of other diet group on 21d. The results of meat yield traits revealed that except for dressing %, all other remaining meat characteristics (e.g., breast weight, thigh weight, giblet weight, wing weight and drumstick weight, shank weight %, liver, gizzard and heart weight etc.), were found similar. Significantly the highest (P<0.05) dressing yield (65.28 % and 64.81%) were observed in T2 and T3 diet group, and the lowest dressing % being in T1, respectively. The profitability was also greater (P<0.05) for T2(12.91 Tk/kg) and T3(11.00 Tk/kg) dietary group than that of others. The analysis of heavy metal contents (Cd, Cr and Pb) of different feed mills measured in this study was below the content of maximum permissible limit, and it implies that there is no detrimental effect for broilers.