Response of Broiler Chicks to Various Levels of Multi-enzymes and Feeding Durations

Abstract

These studies were carried out to investigate the effect of using different levels of the commercial multi-enzymes NutriKEM Extend, when added to sorghum ground nut cake basal diets, fed during different phases (starter or finisher only, or through the whole period), on growth performance, carcass characteristics, blood profile and economic efficiency of broiler chicks. NutriKEM Extend Dry, a multi-enzymes product developed for use in total vegetable diets, enzymes present have hydrolytic activity towards pentosans and other Non-Starch Polysaccharides (NSP), in addition to NSP-degrading enzymes, NutriKEM Extend Dry also contains amylase, lipase and protease activity, lysophospholipids are also included in NutriKEM Extend, to provide a more complete mode of action for fat and nutrient digestion in animal nutrition. A completely randomized design (CRD) experiment, of a (4×3) factorial arrangement was used, four graded inclusion levels of multi-enzymes (250,500,750 and 1,000 g / MT of complete feed), offered during three different feeding regimen. A total number of 455 day old, unsexed broiler chicks, Cobb 500 strain were allocated into thirteen experimental groups, the control group fed on basal diet without multi-enzymes added, and each treatment diet was offered to one of the remainder twelve groups, each treatment had five replicates, with seven birds each. Studies lasted for six weeks, and the experiments parameters covered growth performance, carcass and non- carcass values, serum constituents, and serum enzyme activities. Meat chemical composition was analyzed, and sensory evaluation was done to evaluate meat quality. Economical appraisal was performed to assess the production costs and returns of 1 Kg of broiler meat. All xviii data were statistically analyzed using GLM model, the one-way and multi factorial ANOVA. Results indicated that, feed intake, body weight gain, FCR and final body weight (BW) were significantly affected by different feeding times of enzyme supplemented diet, data showed an improvement of body weight with increased multi-enzymes feeding durations, good results for (BW) of 1,845g, was achieved when feeding diets with added multi-enzymes at 1,000 g / MT of feed for the whole fattening period (42 days). Economic efficiency, was not affected by both variable factors (multi enzymes levels or feeding durations), however birds fed diet with multi-enzymes level of 1,000g/1MT feed during the starter period only consumed the highest feed amount (4,158.80g). Enzymes levels had no influence on the FCR, best FCR value (2.30) at the end of the whole experimental period was obtained for birds fed diet with multi enzymes level of 500g / 1 MT of feed, offered during the finisher period only, both addition of different levels of added multi-enzymes or feeding durations, showed no significant interactive effect on bird’s viability or EPEF, however, EPEF was significantly affected by feeding durations at p-value ≤ 0.10. Feeding durations of added multi-enzymes NutriKEM Extend on broiler performance in terms of body weight gain and prospectively slaughter weight, were high significantly affected, compared to birds fed the control diet, (p-value = 0.0052 and 0.0068 respectively), moreover, feed conversion ratio was significantly affected by multi-enzymes diet feeding durations (p-value = 0.241), supplementation of multi-enzymes did not affect carcass parameters, however, results explained that, diet supplemented with multi-enzymes improved the liver size and the level of deposited abdominal fat, multi-enzymes supplementation did not induced any effect on broiler meat chemical composition, except for protein xix content, addition of multi-enzymes did not significantly improved the sensory properties of meat, and had no significant influence on carcass cuts, nevertheless an apparent positive effect on breast meat percentage was observed, blood and serum parameters, were not affected by multi-enzymes supplemented to the experimental diets, but variation in values of serum constitutes were clearly observed. The production cost of 1 Kg broiler meat, was not significantly affected by multi-enzymes inclusion, however the total feed cost was reduced by 10.10 %, when birds consumed a diet supplemented with multi-enzyme at level of 500 g /1MT of feed, offered during the finisher period only. As a whole, NutriKEM Extend multi-enzymes supplementation improved broiler chick’s performance, it may had positive effect on fat and energy utilization, and increasing the net returns per bird.