Effect of adding different levels of dill seeds to the diet on productive traits and some carcass traits of broiler chickens

Abstract

This study was conducted in the poultry field of the Department of Animal Production / College of Agricultural Engineering Sciences / University of Baghdad Abu Ghraib for the period from 10/15/2021 to 11/25/2021 to show the effect of adding different levels of dill seeds to the diet on productive and carcass traits For broiler meat. In this study, 200 unsexed broiler chicks of breed (308 Ross) were used, one day age, with a starting weight of (42) g. The chicks were randomly distributed to 5 treatments, and each treatment included 4 replicates, 10 birds for each replicate. The birds were fed three diets: the starter diet, the growth diet and the final diet. The experiment treatments were T1, T2, T3, T4 and T5, adding dill seeds at average (0, 0.3, 0.6, 0.9, 1.2%), respectively. The experiment results indicated a significantly excelled(P < 0.05) for treatment T5. Compared with the T1 treatment, it did not differ significantly from the rest of the treatments; adding dill seeds T2, T3 and T4 in body weight, weight gain and feed consumed for broilers at 42 days, an improvement was observed in the food conversion ratio of treatment T5 compared to the rest of the treatments in the first week, and in the fourth week, the results indicated a significant improvement (0.01>P) in the feed conversion ratio of the addition treatments T2, T3, T4 and T5 compared to treatment T1. It was found that there was a significant (P < 0.05) excel in the carcass weight of the T5 treatment compared to the T4 treatment. It did not differ significantly with the T1, T2 and T3 treatments, and a significant (P < 0.05) in the relative weight of the gizzard for the T4 treatment compared to the T1 treatment and the liver relative weight for the two treatments. T4 and T5 as compared to T1. Also, a significant excel (P<0.05) was observed in the relative weight of the thigh for treatment T1 and T4 compared to T5. When calculating the relative weight of the neck, it was noted that treatment T1 compared to treatment T5. When calculating the relative weight of the back, treatment T4 excelled on the rest of the treatments. We conclude from this study that adding 1.2% of dill seeds to the diet improved the productive traits of broilers. Keywords: dill seeds, broilers, productive performance, carcasses.