Effect of Corn Substitution by Sorghum Grain with Low Tannin Content on Broilers Production: Animal Performance, Nutrient Digestibility and Carcass Characteristics

Abstract

The effect of substituting corn with sorghum grains with low tannin content (LTC) on broilers performances was investigated in a 6-week feeding trial. Seven hundred fifty 1-day old chicks and not sexed Coob 500 were used in this test. These animals were separated into five groups with three replicates of 50 birds for each one. A control diet with 50% of corn was used in the control group. Three other diets where corn was substituted by conventional sorghum in 1/3, 2/3 and 3/3 were given respectively to the G1/3, G2/3 and G3/3 groups. The GLTC groups received diets with total substitution of maize by sorghum with LTC. No significant difference was shown for the body weight between the control and the GLTC groups (respectively 1303 and 1418 g). But the use of conventional sorghum decreases significantly the broilers weight live (p>0.05) with the lower weight performances (1128 to 1225 g). Mortalities were similar for the different groups. It’s always results to climatic environment which was identical for the different group. No difference has been observed for the carcass dressing percentage (68 to 76%). For the nutrients digestibility, except the fat matter which was difference and higher (more than 92%), dry matter, ash and then metabolizable energy were similar (p>0.05) in the starting and growing diets.