Effects of <i>Tetrapleura tetraptera</i> on performance, carcass characteristics and organ indices of broiler chickens

Abstract

This study was conducted to determine the effect of Tetrapleura tetraptera as a feed additive on growth performance, carcass and internal organs of broiler chickens. 240 day-old broiler chickens were used for the study. Four dietary treatments were formulated. Treatment one (T₁), the control had no T. tetraptera powder, while treatments two, three and four (T₂, T₃ and T₄) had 100, 150 and 200 g per 100 kg of feed respectively. The birds were divided into four groups with sixteen replicates of fifteen birds each and assigned treatment diets in a completely randomized design. Feed and water were offered ad libitum. The result on the performance of the birds at the starter phase showed significant differences (p<0.05) in daily weight gain and feed conversion ratio. The feed intake of the birds in the starter phase was statistically similar across treatments. In the finisher phase, final weight, daily weight gain and feed conversion ratio were significantly  affected (p<0.05) by the diet in the finisher phase significant difference (p>0.05) did not exist in the feed intake of the birds across  treatment. There were significant differences (p<0.05) in the live weight, dressed weight, cut-parts, and internal organs of the chickens. Significant differences (p>0.05) did not exist in the internal organs of the chickens. It can be concluded that inclusion of T. tetraptera powder up to 200 g in the diet of broiler chicken enhanced growth performance, carcass and did not have any adverse effect on the  internal organs of the chickens.