Feeding kampong chickens with infertile eggs: effects on 6-weeks performance

Abstract

Abstract The present study evaluated the effect of dietary inclusion levels of infertile eggs powder (IEP) from the hatchery processing industry on the performance of kampong chickens measured at 6 weeks. A total of 120 birds at 21 d (327±18 gram) were equally distributed to receive 10%, 20%, and 30% of IEP with control treatment without IEP. Each treatment group was replicated five times with eight birds in each, giving three dietary treatments including control. Diets were formulated to meet the Indonesia National Standard of the nutrient requirement for kampong chickens. Results showed that increasing dietary IEP at 10% and 20% significantly increased average daily gain (ADG), final body weight (BW), and decreased feed conversion when compared to control (p<0.05). When given at 30%, no effect on production performance parameters was observed. In conclusion, the present study suggests that infertile eggs powder can be partially used to substitute conventional protein sources in kampong chickens. Dietary inclusion of IEP up to 20% given in mixed with corn in the formula improves the performance of kampong chickens without negatively affecting feed intake.