Effects of dietary hatchery by-products on growth performance, relative organ weight, plasma measurements, immune organ index, meat quality, and tibia characteristics of broiler chickens

• Published in: Animal bioscience Vol. 34; no. 7; pp. 1181 - 1192
• Main Authors: Choi, Won Jun, Kim, Jong Hyuk, Han, Gi Ppeum, Kwon, Chan Ho, Kil, Dong Yong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Asian - Australasian Association of Animal Production Societies 01.07.2021; Animal Bioscience; Asian-Australasian Association of Animal Production Societies; 아세아·태평양축산학회
• Subjects: Agricultural wastes; animal protein ingredient; broiler chicken; Broilers (Poultry); fish meal; Food and nutrition; growth performance; hatchery by-products; Health aspects; infertile eggs; Meat; Physiological aspects; 축산학; South Korea; Animal Protein Ingredient; Broiler Chicken; Growth Performance; Infertile Eggs; Fish Meal; Hatchery By-products
• ISSN: 2765-0189; 2765-0235; 2765-0235
• DOI: 10.5713/ab.20.0755

Objective: The objective of the current study was to investigate the effects of dietary hatchery by-products (HBPs) as a replacement of fish meal (FM) on growth performance, relative organ weight, plasma measurements, immune organ index, meat quality, and tibia characteristics of broiler chickens. Methods: A total of 720 broiler chickens (3 d of age) were randomly allotted to 1 of 9 treatments with 8 replicates. Each replicate consisted of 5 male and 5 female birds. The basal diet was formulated to contain 5.0% commercial FM, whereas eight treatment diets were prepared by replacing 25%, 50%, 75%, or 100% of FM in the basal diet with infertile eggs (IFE) or a mixture of various HBPs (MIX); therefore, the inclusion levels of IFE or MIX in the experimental diets were 1.25%, 2.50%, 3.75%, or 5.00%. The diets and water were provided on an ad libitum basis for 32 d. Results: Increasing inclusion levels of IFE as a replacement of FM in diets had no effects on growth performance, plasma measurements, immune organ index, and tibia characteristics of broiler chickens. Increasing inclusion levels of IFE in diets increased (linear, p<0.05) meat lightness (L*) but decreased (linear, p<0.05) meat redness (a*). The breast meat pH at 1-h postmortem was increased (linear, p<0.05) by increasing inclusion levels of IFE in diets. Likewise, increasing inclusion levels of MIX in diets had no effects on growth performance, relative organ weight, plasma measurements, immune organ index, and tibia characteristics. However, increasing inclusion levels of MIX in diets increased (linear, p<0.05) 1-h postmortem pH but decreased (linear, p<0.05) 24-h postmortem pH of breast meat. Increasing inclusion levels of MIX in diets decreased (linear, p<0.05) thiobarbituric acid reactive substances values of breast meat. Conclusion: Both IFE and MIX are suitable alternatives to FM as protein ingredients in broiler diets.