Performance Characteristics of Starter Broiler Chicks Fed Dietary Sun-Dried Sweet Orange Peel Meal (SOPM) with and Without Polyzyme

Abstract

The study was carried out to evaluate the performance characteristics of starter broiler chicks fed diet containing sun-dried sweet orange peel meal with and without polyzyme . Fresh sweet orange peel was collected from sweet orange fruits retail sellers and was immediately sun-dried on concrete platforms to attain less than 12 % moisture. It was ground and mixed with other feed ingredients to produce six (6) experimental diets T 1, T 2, T 3, T 4, T 5 and T 6 . Two hundred and sixteen (216) unsexed day-old Abor acer plus broiler chicks were randomly assigned to the six dietary treatments of 36 chicks each and 12 chicks per replicate. The experimental diets had 2 levels of Polyzyme (0 % and 0.04 %) and 3 levels of sun-dried sweet orange peel meal (15 %, 20 % and 25 %) and the experimental was fitted into the completely randomized design. Chicks were fed these diets T 1 -15 % sun-dried sweet orange peel meal + 0 % polyzyme , T 2 -20 % sun-dried sweet orange peel meal + 0 % polyzyme , T 3 -25 % sun-dried sweet orange peel meal + 0 % polyzyme , T 4 -15 % sun-dried sweet orange peel meal + 0.04 % polyzyme , T 5 -20 % sun-dried sweet orange peel meal + 0.04 % polyzyme and T 6 -25 % sun-dried sweet orange peel meal + 0.04 % polyzyme . Broiler chicks fed 15 % dietary SOPM with and without polyzyme had significantly (P<0.05) highest final weight, weight gain and feed intake. Experimental diets did not show significant effect (P>0.05) on dry matter, crude protein, crude fibre and nitrogen free extract digestibility. There was interaction between polyzyme and sweet orange peel meal on nitrogen free extract at 15 % and 25 % which was influenced by polyzyme . There was no detrimental effect of SOPM and polyzyme production cost. It is therefore concluded from this trial that sun-dried sweet orange peel meal has some nutritional benefits in the diet of broiler chicks and that inclusion level of sun-dried sweet orange peel meal up to 25 % without and with polyzyme level of 0 % and 0.04 % did not have deleterious effect on broiler chicks growth performance and production cost.