The Contribution of Agricultural Waste to the Production Performance of Free-Range Chickens in the Easternmost Region of Indonesia

Abstract

Purpose: This research aims to investigate the production performance of free-range chickens fed with banana peel flour as a substitute for bran in the ration.
 Theoretical framework:
 Free-range chickens, commonly known as "non-purebred chickens", are closely related to the community. These chickens exhibit diverse genetic traits and are commonly found in the wider community, for both animal protein consumption and as a supplementary source of income to improve their economy.
 Design/methodology/approach: The research was conducted in Merauke from October to December 2022, and the materials used included 48 three-week-old free-range chickens with a weight of 150-200g, concentrate, yellow corn, bran, and banana peel flour. A Randomized Block Design was used with 4 treatments namely P0 = control diet (0% banana peel flour), as well as P1 = 25%, P2 = 50%, and P3 = 100% banana peel flour substituting bran, distributed into 4 groups based on body weight. The observed variables were ration consumption, weight gain, and ration conversion. Meanwhile, data were analyzed using analysis of variance and further tested with the least significant difference (LSD) test
 Findings: The results showed that the use of banana peel flour as a substitute for bran significantly reduced ration consumption (P<0.05) but did not have a significant effect (P>0.05) on weight gain and ration conversion.
 Research, Practical & Social implications: Utilization of banana peel waste as animal feed will have an impact on reducing environmental pollution and changing the socio-economic conditions of farmers.
 Originality/value:Research using banana peel waste as poultry feed is the first time it has been conducted in Merauke Regency