Growth Performance Characteristics of Cockerel Chicken Fed Diets containing Ginger Rhizome and Garlic Bulb powder

Abstract

The use of antibiotics in poultry production has raised global concern due to health risk associated with its residues in poultry products. A study was conducted to assess the growth performance characteristics of cockerel fed ginger and garlic based diets for a period of 12 weeks. A total of 180 day old Isa white cockerels were randomly allotted to 4 experimental treatment diets. Each dietary treatment was replicated 3 times with 15 chicks per replicate in a completely randomized design. Diet one had 0% ginger rhizome and garlic bulb powder (T1), diet 2 had 2% ginger rhizome powder (T2), diet 3 had 2% garlic bulb powder (T3) while diet 4 had 2% mixture (1:1) of ginger rhizome powder and garlic bulb powder (T4). The weights were measured and weight gain calculated on weekly basis. In addition, the feed intake and feed conversion ratio were measured and calculated on weekly basis. At starter phase, average initial weight, average final weight, average weekly feed intake and average daily feed intake were not significantly (P>0.05) affected by the dietary treatments. However, Feed conversion ratio (FCR) was significantly (P<0.05) highest (2.09) among birds placed on T2 while the lowest mean value of 1.30 was recorded in T3. At finisher phase, the average initial weight, average weekly feed intake, average daily feed intake and FCR were not significantly (p>0.05) affected by the experimental diets. However, birds fed T4 had the highest (P<0.05) mean value of average final live weight (1796.67g) while the least value (1553.33g) was obtained in birds fed T3. The average daily weight gain were significantly (p<0.05) highest 37.14 g T2. It was concluded that ginger and garlic powder can be used successfully in cockerel diets at 2 % level of inclusion to enhance growth performance characteristics especially at finisher phase.