Productivity and Meat Quality of Broiler Chickens Using a Feather Feed Meal

Abstract

Poultry industry has emerged as the fastest growing segment not only in the livestock sector but also in the agriculture as a whole and the most important challenges for this direction is to enhance bird productivity while remaining economically and environmentally sustainable. One of the biggest hurdles for poultry is the high cost and variation in the quality of feed ingredients. Dietary specifications and nutritional strategies are core for optimized poultry performance. Increasing the efficiency of broiler feeding is fundamental to sustainable poultry intensification. The potential of feed additive-based nutritional strategies dietary administration of protein organic substances is critically in the light of their role in supporting the sustainable intensification of this crucial livestock sector. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of feeding varying levels of feather meal as a protein source on feed intake, body weight, average daily gain, feed conversion ratio and carcass characteristics of broiler chickens. During the research, broiler chickens "COBB-500" of one-day-old age were used and were divided into 5 groups (one control and four experimental, 20 heads per group). The chickens of the control group (CG) received basic compound feed (BC), while the experimental groups received BC with the addition of various levels of protein meal from feathers. Parameters measured were Feed Intake (FI), Body Weight (BW) and Average Daily Gain (ADG).