Biological evaluation of Azolla (Azolla pinnata) in broiler ration
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Date
2014-07-19
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CSKHPKV, Palampur
Abstract
ABSTRACT
The present study was under taken to explore the nutritive value of Azolla
pinnata as a non conventional feed ingredient in poultry broiler feeding. An
experiment was conducted on 150,day old chicks,which were divided into 5 main
groups (1 control + 4 treatments) with 3 replicates having 10 chicks in each
replicate.The ration was formulated to have test diets based on 2, 3, 4 and 5 per
cent substitution with azolla as an ingredient compared to a standard formulated
conventional diet in a way that the crude protein and metabolizable energy values
were similar in all treatments and control. During the starter phaseresults of the
growth trial revealed that the average value of gain in live body weight and feed
conversion ratio of treatment T4 offered 5 per cent azolla of total feed was found
to be significantly (P<0.05) higher than control group and other treatment viz. T1,
T2 and T3. During the finisher phasethe average gain in live weight in treatment
T1 offered test diet substituted with 2 per cent azolla exhibited significantly
(P<0.05) higher gain in live weight where as treatment T4 offered test diet
substituted with 5 per cent azolla numerically exhibited 4.7 per cent higher gain in
live weight compared to control T0.Overall results for the experiment on growth
studies exhibited similar pattern as was recorded during starter phase.There was
no effect on palatability of feed with 5 per cent substitution of azolla. Results for
the proximate analysis of broiler meat,coefficients of digestion of different nutrients
and serum mineral analysis exhibited no significant (P<0.05) difference.Economics
of broiler production by substitution of 5 per cent azolla in broiler feed exhibited
highest gain compared to control group T0 offered conventional feed. It was
concluded that azolla at 5 per cent in the feed of broiler birds exhibited significantly
(P<0.05) higher live body weight and improved feed conversion ratio without
affecting the palatability of the feed and can be economically incorporated in
broiler ration.
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