Performance And Carcass Characteristics of Broiler Finisher Fed Graded Levels of Raw and Cooked Turmeric (Curcuma longaLINN) Meal

Résumé

A 14-day feeding trial was conducted to determine the nutritive value of raw and cooked turmeric (Curcuma longa linn) meal for broiler finisher. Turmeric rhizome were washed with tap water and divided into two batches of 40kg each. One batch was crushed raw and sundried 5 days while the second batch was cooked for one hour from boiling point, crushed and sundried also for 5 days. The sun-dried raw and cooked turmeric rhizomes were then separately ground in a hammer mill to produce raw and cooked turmeric meals. Seven experimental broiler finisher diets were formulated incorporating the processed turmeric meals at seven dietary levels of 0%, 1.0%, 1.5%, 2.0% raw and 1.0%, 1.5%, and 2.0% cooked respectively. One hundred and eighty-nine (189) five week old unsexed broiler chicks of cob strain were divided into seven (7) groups and randomly assigned to the seven experimental broiler finisher diets in a completely randomized design (CRD). Each group was further sub-divided into 3 replicates. At the end of the 8th week, two birds from each treatment were randomly selected and slaughtered for carcass and organ weight analysis. The results of this study suggested that turmeric (curcuma longa linn) meal could enhance the performance of the broiler finisher at 1.5% cooked dietary level.