Journal of Animal Production, Print ISSN: 2008-6776., Online ISSN: 2382-994X

Abstract The effect of feeding fermented cottonseed meal on performance, carcass characteristics and blood serum lipid profile was studied in a completely randomized design with five treatments, five replicates and 12 birds per replication using 300 male Ross 308 broiler chicks. Raw cottonseed meal was fermented with a liquid mixed culture containing Bacillus subtilis, Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus oryzae with a ratio of 1:1.2. After seven days of fermentation, free gossypol was reduced from 584.33 to 68 mg/kg. The experimental treatments included replacing 0, 10, and 20 percent of the raw or fermented cottonseed meal by the soybean meal in the diet. The use of fermented cottonseed meal in the diet improved weight gain and feed conversion ratio of broilers compared to the raw cottonseed meal (P<0.05). At 21 and 42 d, weight gain and feed conversion ratio of the birds fed diets containing 10 and 20 percent of fermented cottonseed meal did not have a significant difference with the birds fed by the control diet. Abdominal fat was lower in birds fed diets containing fermented cottonseed meal compared with the others (P<0.05). Serum concentrations of cholesterol and triglyceride were significantly lower for the birds fed by diets containing fermented cottonseed meal, compared with the other groups (P<0.05). Based on the results, the use of fermented cottonseed meal improves the performance and health of broiler chickens compared to the raw cottonseed meal.

Abstract In order to investigate antioxidant and antimicrobial effects of pomegranate peel powder (PPP), this research was conducted as completely randomized design arranged in a 2 × 2 factorial experiment using pomegranate peel powder (0 and 2 percent) and soybean oil (SO, zero and six percent in growing period; zero and eight percent in finishing period). One hundred and sixty 11-day-old Ross 308 broiler chickens assigned to four treatments of four replicate each. The results showed that PPP improved the antibody titer in 39-day broilers, increased fat digestibility, improved lactobacillus and decreased E coli micro flora in ileum and cecum significantly (P ≤ 0.05). The SO decreased DM digestibility and lactobacillus micro flora and E coli in ileum and cecum (P ≤ 0.05). As a conclusion adding PPP to the fat containing diets in comparison to control diets; without PPE and SO, improved antibody titer, beneficial gastric micro flora in ileum and cecum and had not any deleterious effect on overall broiler performance.

Abstract The aim of this study was to investigate the processing methods of sorghum grain and diet formulation on performance and nutrients digestibility in broilers. Three hundred and twenty chicks at eight day of age were allotted into eight groups of four replicate with ten chicks per replicate. This research was conducted as completely randomized design arranged in a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial experiment using formulation method (total vs. digestible amino acids), Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP, 0 vs. 1%) and acid treatment (0 vs. 2%, acetic and propionic acid, 60:40 mixture). Main effects of addition of PVP and acid treatment of sorghum and formulation based on digestible amino acids significantly improved feed conversion ratio and average daily gain during the finishing period (22 to 42 d.) and the overall feeding periods (8 to 42 d.; P≤0.05). Also, acid treatment of sorghum and formulation based on digestible amino acid significantly improved nutrients digestibility during the finishing period (22 to 42 d.) and the overall feeding periods (8 to 42 d.) (P≤0.05). Addition of PVP or acid treatment resulted in a decrease in the weight of pancreas (P≤0.05). The interaction effect of PVP, acid and method of diet formulation was not significant on any performance parameters. The data showed that diet formulation based on digestible amino acid can be more advisable in comparison to sorghum grain processing methods. It can be because of no need for additional processing costs and having the same performance results.