Document Type : Articles
Authors
1 Department of Animal Production, College of Agriculture, Tikrit University, Tikrit, IRAQ
2 Republic of Iraq, Ministry of Agriculture, Salah Aldin province, Directorate of Agriculture in Salah Aldin, IRAQ
Abstract
This study investigated the incorporation of varying concentrations of dry powdered alfalfa into broiler chicken diets and assessed its impact on performance, production metrics, and specific carcass characteristics. To this goal, 180 one-week-old broiler chicks were allocated into four treatments, each comprising three replicates with 15 birds per replication. The initial treatment served as the control, whereas the subsequent treatments incorporated 2%, 4%, and 6% dry alfalfa powder into the diet, respectively. The examination was performed to analyze several facets of production performance, the comparative weights of carcass components, and internal organs. The results demonstrated that the inclusion of 2% and 4% alfalfa powder did not yield significant differences compared to the control group in terms of body weight, weight gain, feed intake, feed conversion efficiency, all carcass parameters, and internal organs. Nonetheless, the incorporation of 6% alfalfa powder markedly diminished performance metrics and reduced the dressing percentage in comparison to the control group. In conclusion, the findings of this study indicate that the incorporation of 2% and 4% alfalfa powder into the diets did not adversely affect production performance. Conversely, it favorably impacted dressing percentage and relative liver weight, hence improving digestive system functions and activity.
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