Effects of the Incorporation of Zeolite on Zoo technical Parameters of Chicken | Insight Medical Publishing

This study aims to evaluate the effect of the incorporation of zeolite in poultry feeds on broiler performance. Three regimens were formulated for this study: A0, A0.5 and A1 containing 0%, 0.5% and 1% of zeolite, respectively. The Fattening experiment was performed for a 39 days period. A total of 200 one day old Hubbard JV chicks were allotted in nine pens of 22 birds. Each diet was distributed to 3 homogenous groups (3 × 3 × 22). For each regimen, animals were fed ad libitum starter CF1 (1-17 days of age), then grower-finisher CF2 (18-39 days of age) concentrates. Live body weight, daily gain, feed intake and mortality were recorded during the fattening trial. Overall results indicate that zeolite had no influence on global growth performance (48, 71 g). Live body weight (1937, 33 g), feed intake (93, 54 g), feed conversion ratio (1.92) and mortality rate averaged (10, 48%). At the beginning of the fattening trial, a nonsignificant negative effect of zeolite was found on chickens’ growth performance. Then, with the transition from CF1 to CF2, a non-significant positive effect was detected. A slight incidence (p>0.63) of zeolite has been observed either on feed digestive coefficients or nitrogen retention. In conclusion, it appears that the addition of zeolite in broiler feeds does not have any impact on the different parameters studied.