Replacing Soybean Meal With Acacia Angustissima in Broiler Diets Strengthens Birds Skeletal Frame

Abstract

A robust skeletal system is vital for optimum health and vitality in broiler chickens and consequently the profitability of meat-type bird enterprises. Intense selection in meat-type commercial birds has resulted in rapidly growing birds called broilers whose skeletal frames, unfortunately, buckle under heavy weights. This study aimed to determine the effect of incorporating Acacia angustissima leaf meal at 0%, 5%, and 10% inclusion rates on tibia bone physical characteristics (length, weight, strength) and mineral  (ash, calcium, and phosphorus) content. One hundred and fifty day-old Cobb 500 broiler chicks weighing 41.7 ± 1.56g were randomly allocated to 15 battery cages with each cage housing 10 chicks. Experimental diets were randomly assigned to cages. Birds were reared on a three-phase feeding system constituting starter, grower, and finisher diets. Water and feed were provided ad libitum for 42 days. Voluntary feed intake was recorded weekly. At day 42, two birds per replicate were randomly selected, weighed, and humanely slaughtered. The tibia bone was collected for physical and mineral content analyses. ANOVA revealed that treatment did not influence feed intake in birds (P=0.0625), but at 10% leaf meal, live body weight was depressed. Including A. angustissima leaf-meal at 5 and 10% strengthened (P<0.05) broiler tibia bones and increased (P<0.05) their calcium content. It was concluded that incorporating A. angustissima leaf meal at 5 % in broiler diets increased broiler bone strength without any adverse effects on the performance of broiler chickens.