Influence of Turmeric Based Diet on the Performance of Broiler Chicken

Background and Objective: Adverse effect of antibiotics is a major concern. On the other hand, the therapeutic properties of turmeric are well known, which are locally grown in the region and available in abundance. Hence, the present study was conducted to use turmeric as an alternative to antibiotics. The current study was designed to determine body weight, growth rate, feed intake, feed conversion efficiency, carcass traits and the economics of broiler chicken production as influenced by different levels of turmeric powder dietary supplementation. Materials and Methods: A total of 200 day-old commercial broiler chicks of the Cobb 430 Y strain were randomly divided into four treatments (T 1 , T 2 , T 3 and T 4 ) each consisting of five replications consisting of ten birds, each following a Randomized Block Design. The experimental birds were fed a standard broiler starter (0-21 days) and finisher ration (22-42 days). The birds were subjected to four dietary treatments containing 0, 0.4, 0.6 and 0.8 g kgG 1 of feed, respectively. Body weight, weight gain and FCE were recorded weekly, while the total calorie intake was recorded daily. On the 42nd day, four birds from each treatment were sacrificed to study the carcass characteristics. Results: The dietary supplementation with turmeric powder did not significantly affect body weight or weight gain and feed intake had the best FCE recorded in T 4 . Mortality was nil in turmeric supplemented group. Hence, livability was recorded as 100 percent. Carcass weight was unaffected by turmeric supplementation, but it showed a significant effect on dressing percentage and organ weights. The highest net profit per bird and BCR were observed in T 3 . Hence, the performance index, net profit per bird and BCR were found to be best in T 3 . Conclusion: As a result of the above findings, supplementation of turmeric powder at 0.6 g kgG 1 of feed can be recommended under Nagalands agro-climatic conditions.