Effects of Feeding Enzyme-Hydrolyzed Poultry By-Product Meal on Productivity and Blood Biochemical Characteristics in Broilers

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether enzyme-hydrolyzed poultry by-product meal (EHPBM) is more effective as a protein source than poultry by-product meal (PBM) and soybean meal (SBM) for broiler chickens. A group of 300 one-day-old broiler chicks was randomly allocated to three treatments with five replicates (20 birds/replicate) for five weeks. The treatments consisted of basal diets containing 1) SBM, 2) PBM, and 3) EHPBM. The EHPBM-fed group (1,853 g±125.60) showed the highest final body weight (P<0.05) when compared to the PBM-fed group (1,723 g±76.81) and SBM-fed group (1,545 g±62.31). The feed conversion ratio of the EHPBM treatment group (1.740±0.104) was significantly higher (P<0.05) than those of the SBM (1.653±0.056) and PBM groups (1.674±0.072). It can be speculated that the increased feed intake in the EHPBM group led to higher body weight gain and FCR. There was no significant effect of treatments on internal organ weight except for the bursa of Fabricius. Blood biochemical characteristic analysis showed that aspartate aminotransferase and alkaline phosphatase levels were higher in the EHPBM and PBM groups (P<0.05), probably due to the strained liver caused by the rapid growth of birds. In conclusion, EHPBM may partly replace conventional dietary protein sources such as soybean meal or poultry by-product meal and can be used to improve the productivity of broilers. (