Effect of Dietary Inclusion of Distillers Dried Grains With Soluble (DDGS) on Feed Intake, Growth Performance, Haemato-Biochemical Profile and Carcass Characteristics of Kuroiler Chicken

Abstract

Many food processing, beverages, slaughter and pharmaceuticals industries leaves few by-products with appreciable nutritive values that is being utilized by the poultry feed manufacturers to make the cost effective poultry feed. Rice Distillers Dried Grains with Solubles (rDDGS) is a by-product of ethanol production which is used as alternative protein source in the poultry diet. Present investigation was conducted at Poultry Research and Training Centre, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture and Technology, Meerut (UP) to evaluate the growth performance, haemato-biochemical profile, carcass characteristics and production economics of Kuroiler chickens from January 24th, 2021- March 22nd, 2021. Feeding trial was designed into four dietary groups viz. T0 (Control, without rDDGS), T1 (7.5% rDDGS), T2 (15% rDDGS) and T3 (22.5% rDDGS) in different treatment groups along with basal corn soyabean diet. Body weight was found to have significant variation in all the treatment groups from 2nd to 8th weeks of age and decreases in the dietary group incorporating 22.5% rDDGS. Similarly, body weight gain was found to be differ significantly from 1st to 5th weeks while for rest of the age groups it was observed statistically non-significant. Overall weight gain was found highest in T2 group (1640.29 g) followed by T1 (1572.52 g), T0 (1534.01 g) and T3 (1466.75 g). Daily and weekly feed intake reflects the significant variation from 2nd to 6th weeks but non- significant differences in feed intake due to feeding of rDDGS were observed for 7th and 8th weeks of age. Maximum feed intake during entire length of trial was observed as 4921.09 g/bird in the dietary group incorporating 15% rDDGS and it was observed lowest as 4382.97 g/bird for treatment having 22.5% rDDGS. Feed intake, growth, feed conversion ratio, feed conversion efficiency and protein efficiency ratio were found to be statistically significant during starter phase (1d-21d) whereas, non- significant differences were observed for all these parameters during finisher phase (22d-56d). However, FCR, FCE and PER were found to have insignificantly affected by feeding rDDGS during overall phase (1d-56d). Significant differences due to supplemented rDDGS were recorded for feed cost, growth cost, profit, profit/kg growth and feed cost/kg growth during starter period. During finisher period only feed cost was found to have significant variations and rest of the parameters were observed statistically non- significant for varying levels of feeding rDDGS. Overall feed cost, growth cost, profit/kg growth and feed cost/kg growth were estimated as significantly influenced by feeding rDDGS. Maximum profit was estimated as Rs. 129.48 in T2 followed by T3 (Rs. 121.63), T1 (Rs. 113.59) and T0 (Rs. 105.33), respectively. All the haemato-biochemical parameters were found to be non-significantly influenced by feeding rDDGS except cholesterol which was found significantly affected by varying levels of feeding rDDGS. Similarly, all the carcass traits were found to have non-significant variations except gizzard which remained significantly affected by feeding rDDGS. No significant effect of feeding rDDGS was recorded for cut-up parts in Kuroiler chicken. Therefore, incorporation of rDDGS may be a potential alternative protein source and can replaced soybean meal up to 15% in the diet of Kuroiler chicken without any detrimental effect on their health and productivity