Corncob‐Based Diet With Enzyme Blend Improves Body Weight, Feed Efficiency and Breast Yield of Sasso Broiler Chickens

Background Owing to the high cost of grains and protein, poultry nutritionists need to consider alternative feed sources from non‐conventional, agro‐industrial by‐products to feed poultry. Objective This study investigated the effects of ground corncobs (GCC) with additives as an alternative fibre source for broiler diet. Methods Three hundred sixty 3‐week‐old dual‐purpose chicks (Sasso X44) were randomly allocated to 4 dietary treatments, having 6 replicates with 15 birds per replicate in a completely randomized design. Four experimental diets were formulated: C0 (Control/Basal diet), C1 (10% GCC), C2 (10% GCC diet with 0.05% multi‐blend enzyme), C3 (10% GCC diet with 0.5% flaked oyster mushroom, FOM). Results At the end of the experimental period, it was revealed that apart from blood platelet counts, which were significantly low ( p < 0.05) in the additive‐supplemented diets, GCC and its supplementation with either multi‐blend enzyme or FOM had no influence ( p > 0.05) on haematological parameters. Birds fed the C0, C2 and C3 diets were more efficient ( p < 0.05) in feed conversion in comparison to those fed the raw 10% GCC diet at Week 12, with the final body weight of the C2 group significantly higher ( p < 0.05) than the raw GCC group. Breast yield was heavier in the birds of the C2 group compared to the raw GCC group ( p > 0.05). Conclusion It is therefore beneficial to supplement corncob diets with multi‐blend enzymes and flaked oyster mushrooms since their inclusion did not have any negative influence on the blood parameters, in addition to improving feed efficiency and body weight.