PERFORMANCE OF COMMERCIAL BROILER ROSS 308 FED DIFFERENT BRANDS OF COMMERCIAL FEEDS

Abstract

A study was conducted at the National Poultry Research and Development Centre, Sarpang to evaluate the growth performance of commercial broiler Ross 308 fed with two different brands of broiler feed. A total of 330 unsexed Day-Old Chicks (DoCs) were randomly allocated into two groups with three replicates of 55 birds each. Two concentrate feeds labeled as Feed A and Feed B were used. The broiler birds were fed ad libitum at day zero and twice daily from day one to 56 days of age. The data were tested for normality using Shapiro-Wilk test and independent t-test was administered to evaluate the effects of feed on FCR and growth. The result indicated a significant differences (p <.05) in the Average Daily Gain (ADG), final body weight and Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR) of the birds fed with two different feeds. The live body weight of birds fed with Feed A was comparatively higher than the birds fed with Feed B. Further, the birds fed with Feed A had better growth and FCR when compared to the birds fed with Feed B. In this research Feed A was conclusively superior to Feed B in terms of broiler birds’ performance. The slower ADG in birds after 42 days of experimental period suggested that the broiler birds should not be fed and reared beyond the recommended duration for a viable farming business. A need is felt to advocate farmers on the recommended rearing period of broiler for better farm profitability and high returns.