EFFECT OF USING CARROT (Daucus carota) POWDER IN BROILER RATION AS A GROWTH PROMOTER TO PRODUCE SAFE MEAT

Abstract

A feeding trial was conducted on 150-day-old Lohman meat broiler chicks for a period of 28 days in the Poultry Farm of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka. The aim of the study was to assess the efficiency of dietary carrot powder supplementation on the production index and health status of commercial broiler chicken. The chicks were assigned randomly to five treatment groups comprising of T 1

(Antibiotic), T 3 (0.5% Carrot Powder), T 4 XV

(1% Carrot Powder) and T 5 (1.5% Carrot Powder) randomly. Treatments were replicated thrice with 10 chicks per replicate. The results showed that dietary supplementation of carrot powder had no significant (P>0.05) difference on feed consumption, body weight gain and final live weight of broiler compared to control group. Higher feed consumption found in T 2

(2546.80±23.09g) group compared to other groups. However, superior final live weight (1859.50±34.83g) obtained in T 4 group where birds fed with 1% carrot powder compared to those of antibiotic and control group. Improved FCR value (1.36±0.03) found in both T 3 and T 5 group which is statistically non-significant (P>0.05) with the values of other groups. Dietary supplementation of carrot powder had significant (P<0.05) effect on the dressing percentage of broiler compared to control group. Highest dressing percentage (75.23±0.76) obtained in 1% carrot powder (T 4 ) supplementation group. Dietary supplementation of carrot powder had significant (P<0.05) effect on the relative weight of spleen but had no significant (P>0.05) effect on relative weight of bursa in different groups. Birds supplemented with 1% carrot powder showed significantly (P<0.05) higher spleen weight (2.66± 0.16g) and 0.5% carrot powder (T 3 ) showed insignificantly (P>0.05) higher bursa weight (3.08±0.79g). The relative weight of liver and heart of different groups showed that there was no significant (P>0.05) difference but relative weight of gizzard showed significant (P<0.05) difference among the groups. The superior weight of liver was 48.92±2.71g in T 5 (1.5% carrot powder), gizzard and heart were 48.92±0.51g and 12.17±1.52g in T 4

(1% carrot powder) respectively. The glucose, cholesterol and hemoglobin concentration had no significant (P>0.05) difference among all groups but comparatively lower glucose (16.03±0.27m.mole/L) in T 5 , lower cholesterol (4.90±0.40m.mole/L) & hemoglobin (6.60±0.13m.mole/L) level was found in T 4

group. It is evident from this trial that birds fed with 1% carrot powder supplemented diet achieved superior result because of superior final body weight, FCR, dressing percentage and internal organ weight compared to control and antibiotic groups. So carrot powder can be use as natural feed additive for the replacement of antibiotic in broiler production.