Optimizing of time duration of flaxseed meal feeding for optimum growth performance, carcass characteristics, and cost economics of broiler chicken meat production.

Abstract

An experiment was conducted for six weeks (n=240) to investigate the optimum time duration of flaxseed meal (FM) feeding in broiler chicken. Two types of diets were formulated, one with 10% flaxseed replacing soybean and other without flaxseed. The flaxseed based diet was fed for different durations giving rise to six dietary treatment used in the experiment viz-viz. T1 (control without FM), T2 (10% FM; 0-5th week), T3 (10% FM; 1-5th week), T4 (10% FM; 2-5th week), T5 (10% FM; 3-5th week), and T6 (10% FM; 4-5th week). The results revealed that addition of 10% flaxseed have revealed the negative effects on the overall growth performance of the birds. However, the negative effects were overcome by reducing the duration of flaxseed feeding from five weeks to three weeks. The growth performance of birds fed flaxseed from 2–5 weeks of age was similar to that of control diet (no flaxseed) fed birds. No significant effect of feeding flaxseed meal for different durations was found on the carcass traits studied. However, increasing the duration of flaxseed feeding from zero to three weeks resulted in progressive decline of abdominal fat percentage. The cost per kilogram live weight or meat yield increased progressively with increasing duration of flaxseed feeding. The study concluded that feeding of 10% flaxseed meal to broiler chicken for three weeks duration (2–5 weeks of age) has no adverse effects of the growth performance, carcass characteristics and cost economics of broiler chicken production.