Premium
Effect of a prebiotic on performance of partridge
Author(s) -
Khaksar V.,
Veldkamp T.,
Hashemipour H.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of animal physiology and animal nutrition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.651
H-Index - 56
eISSN - 1439-0396
pISSN - 0931-2439
DOI - 10.1111/jpn.12100
Subject(s) - prebiotic , zoology , meal , triglyceride , biology , feed conversion ratio , cholesterol , starter , body weight , food science , endocrinology
Summary An experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of a prebiotic on performance of partridge. The experiment was carried out with a total of eighty‐day‐old male C hukar partridge ( A lectoris chukar chukar) chicks in a completely randomized design. The dietary treatments consisted of a control and an experimental treatment, and each treatment was replicated four times with 10 chicks per replicate. The experimental period lasted 16 weeks with a starter period (0–8 weeks) and a grower period (9–16 weeks). The control group was fed the basal diet, while the experimental group was fed the basal diet supplemented with 0.18% prebiotic A spergillus meal in each period. Performance parameters included body weight gain, cumulative feed consumption and cumulative FCR and were recorded at biweekly intervals. Carcass characteristics and blood parameters were measured at the end of the experiment (week 16). Although the results showed that prebiotic had no significant effect on body weight gain and cumulative feed conversion ratio; however, the supplementation of A spergillus meal significantly (p < 0.05) decreased cumulative feed consumption. Also prebiotic significantly increased percentages of breast and gastrointestinal tract, decreased percentage of back‐neck, decreased blood triglyceride and total cholesterol content and increased blood calcium content. From this study, it was concluded that dietary supplementation of 0.18% A spergillus meal might offer beneficial effects on partridge feed consumption, carcass quality and blood cholesterol.