Performance of Broilers Fed Vegetable Based Diets Supplemented with Organic Acids and Methionine as Growth Promoter Source and Antibiotics

Aims/Objectives: The investigation assessed and compared the performance of broilers fed on a vegetable based (VB) diet supplementation of antibiotic growth promoter (AGP) and organic acids (OA) either independently or in combination.
Study Design: Cross-sectional study.
Place and Duration of Study: The experiment was conducted at Bangladesh Agricultural University Poultry Farm, Mymensingh with 72 as hatched day old (Cobb 500) broilers and continued for 35 days during the period of 22 October to 25 November, 2012.
Methodology: Broilers were equally and randomly distributed into four treatment groups. Vegetable based (control), VB+AGP, VB+OA and VB+AGP+OA respectively. Each group of birds had three replications and 6 broilers constituted a replication. In all replication body weight and feed consumption were recorded at day old chick (DOC) and seven days interval.
Results: It was found that the live weight on VB (control) diet was lower (P<0.01) (855.33g/b) and that on other groups (VB+AGP, VB+OA, VB+AGP+OA) were 978.67g/b, 1008.67g/b and 982.33g/b respectively at 35 days of age. The feed consumption during the experimental period was 1692.01g/b, 1805.65g/b, 1702.00g/b and 1774.34g/b respectively. The feed conversion efficiency were also lower in VB (control) diet than those of VB+AGP, VB+OA and VB+AGP+OA diets throughout the experimental period. At 35 days of age, feed conversions were 2.53, 2.37, 2.33 and 2.41 on VB (control), VB+AGP, VB+OA and VB+AGP+OA diets respectively. It was also found that the total cost of production per kg live broilers was Tk. 107.77, 97.91, 91.39 and 96.73 on VB, VB+AGP, VB+OA and VB+AGP+OA diets respectively. Significant differences were obtained for live weight and breast meat among all dietary groups.
Conclusion: The results of the study revealed that organic acids might be used as a substitute of antibiotic in vegetable based diet for safe meat production from broiler.