UTILIZATION OF THE PEA AS A PROTEIN SOURCE IN THE MIXTURES FOR THE BROILER CHICKEN

Abstract

The experiment was carried out with 50 preliminary sexing one-day-old chickens of both sexes in an experimental and control group, obtained from the lines of the Poultry Hybrid Center gene pool. The rearing was in a group until 49 days of age with constant access (ad libitum) to combined forage, corresponding to their age and category.

The control group chickens received the traditional combined forage for the corresponding period, while the experimental ones received combined forage with 10% pea. During the experiment, the chickens' live weight was measured individually with an accuracy of 1 g at the ages of 1, 14, 28, 42, and 49 days. The group forage consumption and its utilization were taken into account for the periods from hatching to 14 days of age, from 14 to 28 days, from 28 to 42 days, and from 42 to 49 days of age.

At the end of the experimental period, a slaughter analysis was performed on eight characteristics after 12 hours of non-feeding on three male and female chickens, with an average live weight for the group. Based on this, the slaughter yield and the proportion between the different body parts were calculated.

The growth intensity was maintained at a high level until 49 days of age for both male and female chicken broilers fed with a combined mixture that included 10% pea grain, reaching an average live mass of 1949.34 g and 1891.28 g, respectively.

The forage consumption for 1 kg gain during the whole period was 11.69% and 10.27% lower, respectively, for the female and male chickens from the experimental group.

The broiler chickens fed with combined forages containing 10% pea to 49 days of age had a higher live mass, as well as greater mass of the oven-ready carcasses (bratfertig), thighs, grill, breasts, and giblets.