GROWTH PERFORMANCE AND MORPHOMETRICS OF THE THIGHS AND DRUMSTICKS OF MARSHALL BREEDER COCKS FED DIETARY SUPPLEMENTATION OF ACETYLSALICYLIC ACID.

Abstract

A sixteen week experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of varied dietary supplementation of acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) on growth and morphometrics of the drumsticks and thighs of Marshall broiler breeder cockerels. Four treatment diets labelled D1, D2, D3 and D4 were formulated and were supplemented with 0.00, 0.05, 0.10 and 0.15% ASA respectively. The D1 served as the control diet. The birds were fed with these diets for the sixteen weeks of the experiment during which feed intake, weight gain, feed conversion ratio and morphometrics of the drumsticks and thighs were taken as response criteria. Results showed that growth rate, weight gain and feed conversion ratio were best improved at 0.10% ASA supplementation. The moisture content of the tibia and femur bones increased with increase in the
supplemental levels of ASA relative to the control. The flesh to bone index of the thigh differed significantly (P<0.05) between the control and D4. The percentage dry matter content of the tibias and femora also decreased with increase in ASA supplementation in the diets. The flesh weight of the thighs of birds fed the control diet was only superior to those of the ASA supplemented diets at 0,15% level while the flesh weight of the drumsticks in the ASA supplemented diets were significantly (P<0.05) superior to the control especially at 0.10% level. The drumsticks were significantly (P<0.05) heavier in the ASA supplemented diets in comparison with the control. It can be concluded that growth, muscular and bone development of Marshall broiler breeder are better enhanced at 0.10% ASA supplementation in the diet. Also the use of
ASA in the diets ensures better muscling of the drumsticks than the thighs and results in heavier total retail cuts of the drumstick and thighs.