Effect of feeding Azolla pinnata in combination with direct-fed microbial on broiler performance
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Effect of feeding Azolla pinnata in combination with direct-fed microbial on broiler performance Shambhvi 1,2
&
Shivani Katoch 1 & Prince Chauhan 1,2 & Bandu Gangadhar Mane 3
Received: 7 June 2020 / Accepted: 6 October 2020 # Springer Nature B.V. 2020
Abstract A study was conducted on broiler birds for 42 days to determine the effect of feeding azolla along with direct-fed microbial (DFM) on growth performance, nutrient utilization, biochemical parameters and carcass characteristics. A total of 360-day-old male broiler chicks were divided into 3 groups and 12 replicates with 10 chicks per replicate, according to complete randomized block design. One group was fed a diet containing 2.5% azolla (A) and another was fed a diet containing 2.5% azolla, with directfed microbial (A + DFM), viz. L. plantarum and L. rhamnosus, at the concentration of 13.4 × 108 and 1.52 × 108 CFU per mL, respectively, mixed in the daily quota of feed. The control group (CON) was fed a basal diet without azolla and DFM. Azolla fed alone and with DFM did not affect growth performance and feed conversion ratio (FCR) of birds during pre-starter and starter phase; however, significantly (P < 0.05) lower weight gain and higher FCR were observed during finisher period, resulting in an impaired overall FCR. Decreased (P < 0.05) plasma cholesterol and increased (P < 0.05) tibial calcium content were observed in birds fed azolla with DFM. The highest value (P < 0.05) of carcass characteristics like gizzard weight, breast muscle yield and lower meat pH were recorded in the birds fed azolla in combination with DFM, followed by birds fed azolla alone. In conclusion, azolla feeding at 2.5% level shows positive effect on breast muscle yield and gizzard weight of broiler which can be enhanced upon adding DFM to azolla-based diet. Keywords Azolla . Direct-fed microbial . Broilers . Performance . Carcass traits
Introduction Poultry industry is among the fastest growing segments of agriculture, providing a valuable source of high-quality protein to balance the human diet. The demand for eggs and meat is increasing constantly, thus low-cost poultry rearing can prove to be a boon for marginal farmers and landless poor. The cost of feeding alone incurs 65 to 70% of the total cost of poultry production. Problems like the higher cost of poultry feed ingredients, sub-standard feeds and unavailability of feed * Shambhvi [email protected] 1
Department of Animal Nutrition, DGCN College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, CSK HPKV, Palampur, HP 176062, India
2
Department of Animal Nutrition, ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, Haryana 132001, India
3
Department of Livestock Product Technology, DGCN College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, CSK HPKV, Palampur, HP 176062, India
ingredients reduce the economic returns of the poultry farmers. Therefore, the search for cheap unconventional feed ingredients and improvement of their nutritional quality have become very important. This has driven the poultry nutritionists to in
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