THE EFFECT OF THE USE OF DIFFERENT LEVELS OF AZOLLA TO MALE BROILERS DIETS IN THE PRODUCTIVE AND PHYSIOLOGICAL PERFORMANCE

Abstract

This study was conducted at the Poultry Research Station of the Department of Agricultural Researches / Ministry of Agriculture for the period from 22 to 13 May 2018 which lasted 21 days, using 180 Ross308 male broilers fed on added diets, Azolla used at levels 5, 10, 20 and 30% for T2, T3, T4 and T5, respectively, and were compared with the control treatment T1 which is free of Azolla. Each treatment included three replicates (12 birds for each replicate) in order to study the effect of using different levels of Azolla in the production and physiological performance and economic feasibility of male meat broilers. Significant increase (P≤0.05) in average body weight, weight increase, food intake rate, improved food conversion ratio, and production index for the birds of the treatment 5% Azolla compared with control treatment and other treatments. There were no significant differences between the control treatment and experimental treatments in all biochemical characteristics of blood plasma, which included the concentration of glucose, protein, albumin, and globulin, the activity of the liver enzymes ALT and AST, Uric acid, creatine, cholesterol, triglycerides and low-density fatty proteins (VLDL). In conclusion from this study, it is possible to add Azolla to the diet by 5% feed to obtain a positive improvement in the productive performance of broilers and achieve the best economic feasibility.