GROWTH RESPONSES AND LINEAR MEASUREMENTS OF STARTING BROILER CHICKS ON DIETARY INCLUSION LEVELS OF BIOCHAR AND ALUM
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51791/njap.vi.4272Keywords:
Alum, Biochar, Broiler chicks, Growth indices, Linear bodyAbstract
The aim of this study was to assess the effects of inclusion of biochar and alum in the ration of starter broiler chicks on their growth and linear body development. Two hundred and eighty-eight 1-day-old Cobb chicks were obtained from a reputable hatchery. The chicks were divided into six treatments with 4 replicates each and 12 chicks per replicate. Data generated were subjected to a 2 x 3 factorial analysis in a Completely Randomized Design. Results revealed that dietary supplementation of biochar and alum had no significant impact (p>0.05) on growth indices of broiler chicks. Breast girth
decreased (p<0.05) with increasing levels of biochar in the diets. Increasing dietary inclusion of alum improved (p<0.05) body length and shank width whereas, it lowered breast girth and height of the broiler chicks. It was concluded that inclusion of biochar and alum in the diets of broiler chicks enhanced some morphological parameters of the birds.
