Growth performance and carcass traits of broiler breeder cocks fed varying levels of dietary protein in tropical environment

This study was carried out to investigate the effect of graded levels of dietary protein on the growth performance and carcass traits of broiler breeder cocks. A total of two hundred and forty broiler breeder cocks were randomly assigned to four treatment groups in a completely randomized design. The experimental diets T1, T2, T3 and T4 contained protein level of 18%, 16%, 14%, and 12%. The experiment lasted for 8 weeks. Parameters studied include: initial weight, final weight, total weight gain, feed intake, feed conversion ratio and mortality rate. The results obtained for growth performance and carcass traits, with the exception of the thigh, liver, and spleen weight, revealed that the performance and carcass traits were optimized in the birds fed on 14% dietary protein level. The study, further suggested that the fed dietary protein levels could be reduced to 14% at finisher stage with no harmful effect on broiler breeder performance and carcass traits. published by the Journal of Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences | JBES