Evaluation and economics of enzyme supplementation on the performance of broiler finishers fed soybean hull meal based diets

Abstract

Twenty-eight day feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the performance of broiler finisher fed soybean hull based diets supplemented with “Safzyme®”, an exogenous cellulolytic enzyme. Soybean hull also referred to as soyhull, soybean millrun or soybean flakes are by-products of the soybean milling industry. Five broiler finisher diets were formulated such that the diets contained soybean hull meal at 0%, 10% and 20% dietary levels (without enzyme supplementation) and 10%, and 20% dietary levels (with 1.0% enzyme supplementation) respectively. One-hundred and fifty (150) four-week-old Hubbard broiler chicks were divided into five groups of thirty (30) birds each and randomly assigned to five treatment diets in a completely randomized design (CRD). Data were collected on feed intake, body weight gain, feed conversion ratio and economics of production was also computed. Feed intake increased progressively as dietary inclusion of soybean hull was increased with or without enzyme supplementation. This increase became significant (P<0.05) at 20% dietary level of soybean hull. Daily body weight gains of birds on soybean hull meal diets with enzyme supplementation did not significantly differ (P<0.05) from birds on soybean hull meal diets without enzyme supplementation. Feed conversion ratio and feed efficiency were both significant (P<0.05) at 20% dietary levels of soybean hulls with or without enzyme supplementation. Dietary inclusion of soybean hull without enzyme supplementation reduced cost of feed and production of 1kg of meat while enzyme supplementation negatively affected percent feed cost savings. The results of this trial suggest that supplementation of diets containing soybean hull meal at 20% dietary levels with Safztme®, an exogenous cellulolytic enzyme, at 10% dietary level could not improve the nutritive value of the hulls for broiler finisher birds and also affected negatively percent feed cost saving.