Effect of Enzyme Addition in Maize and Bajra (Pennisetum typhoides) Based Diets on Carcass Traits and Economics of Broiler Production Elangovan A.V.*, Mandal A.B., Tyagi Praveen K., Tyagi Pramod K., Verma S.V.S. Central Avian Research Institute, Izatnagar, 243 122, India. *Reprint request: Dr. A.V. Elangovan, Tel: +91-581-2447223; Fax: +91-581-2447321; E-mail: elangocari@rediffmail.com.
Abstract The experiment was conducted to assess meat production potentiality and economics of broiler raising on bajra (Pennisetum typhoides) based diet with and without mixed enzyme preparation. Accordingly, two hundred day-old broiler chicks were distributed into 30 groups of 6–7 each. The birds were allotted to 10 dietary treatments in triplicate groups (replicates). The dietary treatments include a control diet (containing 53.45 maize and 30.35 soybean meal), and other diets in which 25, 50, 75 and 100 per cent of maize was replaced incorporating 14, 32, 51 and 73.2 per cent of whole bajra grain at fixed calorie-protein ratio. Each diet was offered with or without addition of mixed feed grade enzyme preparation containing amylase and non-starch polysaccharidases activity in a factorial design and fed upto 6 weeks of age. After 6 weeks of age, 6 birds were sacrificed. Live weight, defeathered yield and heart yields were influenced (P<0.05) by the levels of bajra, while neither enzyme nor interaction had any effect on these traits. Live weight was significantly (P<0.05) higher in broilers fed 32 per cent bajra replacing 50 per cent of maize. Cost of feed and cost of feed required either for body weight gain or for production of unit eviscerated meat reduced with the increased level of bajra in diet being significantly lower in all bajra-based diet. It could be concluded that replacement of maize with whole bajra reduced the cost of feed for production of unit gain or eviscerated weight being lowest at all bajra diet. However, for optimum yield of meat, the effective level of incorporation was 32 per cent (w/w) replacing 50 per cent of maize in broiler diets (0–6 weeks of age). Supplementation of enzyme reduced the cost of feed for unit gain marginally but did not prove to be economical when feed cost per unit meat was considered.. Top Key words Broilers, Mixed enzyme, Pearl millet, Carcass traits, Economics. Top |