Effect of Feeding Leaf Protein Concentrate of Water Hyacinth on Growth and Nutrients Utilization in Broiler Chiken

Abstract

Protein digestibility, protein utilization, metabolizable energy, fiber digestibility and growth due to feeding effect of leaf protein concentrate (LPC) of water hyacinth were studied in broiler chicken. ln the present study, one control diet (none of LPC, T0) and 3 (three) experimental diets using LPC of 5% interval (5, 10 and 15%, expressed as T1, T2 and T3, respectively) were fed ad libitum to 21 days old of birds. All diets contained 18.5% of crude protein. The experiment was tenninatcd when the birds were 42 days old. Ninety six birds were devided into 4 groups of treatment (T0, T1, T2 and T3, as described above) in a Completely Randmomized Design. Body weight gain, feed consumption, protein intake, digestibilities of protein, neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF), Nitrogen retention and metabolizable energy (ME) were the parameters measured in the present study. Body weight gain, protein digestibility, Nitrogen retention and inetabolizable energy were increased by feeding 5% of LPC (T1). However, the decrease in body weight gain, protein digestibility, Nitrogen retention, metabolizable energy and NDF digestibility were due to the feeding effect of higher levels of LPC (T2 and T3). The improvement of body weight in the group of birds fed diet containing 5% of LPC is clearly due to the increase in protein digestibility, Nitrogen retention and metabolizablc energy, although feed consumption, protein intake and fiber digestibility are not affected. On the other hand, when the higher levels of LPC are given growth is retarded, and this seems to be caused by the decrease in protein digestibility and Nitrogen retention. In poultry, especially broiler, the effect of feeding LPC of water hyacinth on growth is closely related to protein utilization, status of metabolizable energy and fiber digestibility.