Effects of compound poultry feed with different content of high-protein sunflower meal on growth performance of broiler chickens

Sashka Chobanova

Abstract: The aim of the present experiment was to evaluate the effect of feeding poultry compound feed with different level of highprotein sunflower meal on growth performance of broiler chickens. The experiment was performed with 3 groups of chickens (30 birds in group) – one control and two experimental ones. Feeding isocaloric and isoprotein diets, containing flour of sunflower meal – 10% for the second group and 15% for the third group during the three growth periods, had an adverse effect on growth performance: at the end of the finisher period the reduction of live weight was by 1.6% and 4.1% for the second and third groups respectively. Feed intake per 1 kg weight gain was increased by 2.7% and 4.2% in experimental groups. It could be assumed that worse production traits resulting from increased proportion of low-cellulose high-protein sunflower meal in diets was due to the lower feed intake associated to excessively fine meal particles – 150-300 μm. The optimum size of particles in corn or sorghum based poultry compound feed, preferred by broiler chickens, was from 600 and 900 μm.

Keywords: broiler chickens; feed conversion ratio; high-protein; live weight; sunflower meal

Date published: 2019-12-30