Cocoa pod husk with enzyme supplementation is a potential feed ingredient in broiler diets

Abstract

The aim of the trial was to evaluate the performance of broilers fed diets containing varying levels of cocoa pod husk. The diets were supplemented with either phytase, an enzyme cocktail or both. Three hundred and sixty Cobb broiler day-old chicks were randomly assigned to 12 experimental treatments, replicated three times in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD). The diets had three levels of CPH inclusion; 0%, 5% and 7.5% (starter), and 0%, 7% and 10% (finisher) and these were further sub-divided into four. Each portion was treated with, i) no enzyme, ii) phytase (200g per ton of complete feed) only, iii) a commercial enzymes cocktail (250g per ton of complete feed) only and iv) a combination of both enzymes. At the end of the trial on day 57, six birds per treatment were used for carcass analysis. There were no significant differences (P>0.05) among the treatment diets for any of the production parameters studied. Dressing percentages for birds on 0, 7 and 10% CPH, and without enzymes were 72.9, 65.0 and 61.2% respectively and these were lower (P<0.05) than that for birds on diets supplemented with a combination of phytase plus an enzyme cocktail (73.2, 73.2 and 69.8% respectively). The dressing percentage of birds fed on enzyme treated diets was better (P<0.05) than that for birds fed on diets without added enzymes (72.03 vs 66.36% respectively). Cocoa pod husk plus exogenous enzymes can effectively be used as an ingredient in broilers diets without adversely affecting performance or cost of production. © 2015 Fundacion CIPAV. All rights reserved.