Growth Performance, Carcass and Organ Characteristics of Broiler Finishers Fed Dietary Acidifiers

Igugo R. U., Udeh F. U., Alaku S. O.

Abstract: Four (4) weeks feeding trial was conducted using one hundred and twenty; twenty eight-days-old Agritech broiler strain, to evaluate the effect of acidifiers on growth performance, organ and carcass characteristics. Four dietary treatments were formulated, using thirty birds per treatment in a completely randomized design (CRD) experiment. Each treatment was replicated three times with ten birds per replicate; consisting of T1 (control), T2 (hydrated lime), T3 (citric acid) and T4 (hydrated lime + citric acid). The result showed that final body weight, daily weight gain and daily feed intake were significantly (P0.05) influenced by the diets. The carcass and organ characteristics were significantly (P0.05). However, the result indicated that combined effect of two acidifiers were better than single effect of an acidifier. Acidifier unlike antibiotics poses no risk of microbial resistance for both livestock and human. It is therefore concluded that combination of the two acidifiers are better and should be used for optimum performance of broiler finishers.

Keywords: Growth, carcass, organ, acidifiers, antibiotics and broilers.