Effect of Partial Replacement of Corn with Breadfruit (<em>Artocarpus altilis</em>) Flour on Growth Performance and Meat Quality of Broiler Chickens

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Purpose: There is a need to explore the use of non-conventional, locally available and cheap energy-rich ingredients to substitute corn in broiler diets as it is used mainly for human consumption in developing countries. Therefore, this study investigated the effect of partial substitution of corn with breadfruit flour (BFF) in broiler diets on growth performances and meat quality in broiler chickens. Research Method: One hundred and eighty day-old straight-run “Cobb 500” broiler chicks (45.92 ± 0.43 g) were randomly allocated into one of three dietary treatments (Corn based basal diet with no BFF [Control], Corn-substituted basal diet with 5% BFF [BFF5], and Corn-substituted basal diet with 10% BFF [BFF10]) with six replications and 10 birds per replicate. Growth parameters including body weights, average daily gain, average daily feed intake, feed conversion ratio, and organ weights and meat quality parameters were determined. Findings: The broilers fed BFF10 significantly (P < 0.05) improved the body weight, average daily weight gain, and feed efficiency of broilers for the complete experimental period (d 1-35). Further, the same diet improved (P < 0.05) the average daily feed intake of broilers for the starter period (d 1-7) compared to the control diet. Furthermore, broilers fed BFF10 had a heavier (P < 0.05) heart, liver and empty intestine than those fed BFF5. Moreover, breast meat of broilers fed BFF10 had a significant (P < 0.05) lower crude fat content and CIE a* value than that of broilers fed other diets. Originality/value: Breadfruit flour would be a suitable non-conventional energy feed source to partly substitute corn in broiler diets up to 10% with improved growth performance and meat quality in broiler chickens.