Effect of Replacing Soybean Meal with Raw or Fermented Melon Cake on the Performance of Broiler Chicks

Abstract

A 4-week feeding trial was conducted to determine the effects of replacing soybean meal with Raw Melon Cake (RMC), Fermented Melon Cake (FMC) and Fermented Cooked Melon Cake (FCM) on the performance of broiler chicks.  Each of the three test ingredients was included at 36% in a basal diet at the expense of soybean serving as control.  Feed intake and weight gain were higher  (P < 0.05) in Soybean Meal (SBM) fed broilers than those fed other diets while feed conversion ratio was similar (P > 0.05) among broilers placed on the three melon based diets.  Birds fed on RMC had higher (P < 0.05) water intake than their counter parts offered FMC and FCM diets.  Liver, kidney and spleen weights increased significantly (P < 0.05) in broilers given RMC based diets.  The heart, gall bladder and pancreas weights were not significantly different among dietary treatments.  It is concluded that although broiler chicks on the control diet performed best, birds placed on the Fermented Cooked Melon Cake (FCM) diet performed better than those on the RMC and FMC diets.