Effects of Heat Treated Jatropha Seed Cake-Based Diets on Performance and Blood Metabolites in Broiler Chickens

The study was carried out to investigate the effect of heat treated Jatropha Seed Cake (JSC) on the performance, serum biochemistry and haematology of broiler broiler chicken over the period of 28 days feeding trial between March and April, 2015.

Two hundred one-week-old Arbor Acre broilers were randomly allotted to 4 dietary treatments with 5 replicates having 10 chickens in each group. Chicks were fed diets containing JSC at 0 (control), 5, 10 and 15% dietary levels represented as treatments 1, 2, 3 and 4, respectively in a completely randomized design.

Performance indices were assessed. On day 28, blood sample was collected from the jugular vein of two birds per replicate for haematological and serum biochemical analyses. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and ANOVA at α0.05.

Results showed that highest weight gain (WG) (872.1g/b) was recorded for birds on the control diet while the least WG (553.98g/b) was for birds on 15% JSC diet. Meanwhile, birds on 5 and 10% JSC had similar final weight and WG. Identical feed intake was observed in birds on 5, 10 and 15% JSC diets which was significantly (P =.05) lower than what was recorded for birds on the control diet. Feed conversion ratio of birds on the control diet, 5 and 10% JSC-based diets were (P =.05) improved as compared to those on 15% JSC diet. There was no mortality recorded for birds on the dietary treatments. There were no significant differences observed in the blood metabolites of birds on the experimental diets.

In conclusion, body weight gain and feed intake of birds on heat treated jatropha seed cake decreased as the level of JSC increases across the diets, but this did not elicit any deleterious effect on the birds. Jatropha seed cake can therefore be considered as a potential feed resource in broiler nutrition.