Environmental indicators: A study with the poultry agribusinesses

Abstract

© 2015, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco. All rights reserved. Aim of this paper was to investigate the effect of garlic (Allium sativum L.), black pepper (Piper nigrum L.) and hot red pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) in broiler chicken nutrition on productive performances and economic efficiency costs of this kind of broilers chicken production. For biological research eight treatments with 1200 broiler chickens of hybrid line Hubbard in total were formed, with four replicates. Control treatment (T1) was fed with commercial mixtures of standard composition and quality based on corn flour and soybean meal. Experimental treatments were fed with same commercial mixtures only with addition of spice herbs as follows: garlic 0.5 (T2) and 1.0 g/100g (T3), black pepper 0.5 (T4) and 1.0 g/100g (T5), hot red pepper 0.5 (T6) and 1.0 g/100g (T7) and mixture of garlic, black pepper and hot red pepper (1:1:1) in total of 0.5 g/100g (T8). Chickens were fed with starter mixtures diet without addition of spice herbs for first two weeks, after which chickens are fed with grower and finisher mixtures according the plan till the end of experiment which lasted 42 days. At the end of experiment and on the basis of gained results it can be concluded that the chickens at experimental treatments T6 and T7 achieved statistically significant (p<0.05) higher final body masses (2460.6 and 2442.4 g) compared to the chickens at control and other treatments. Feed conversion ratio for the entire fattening period ranged from 1.8 kg/kg (T2, T5) to 2.1 kg/kg (T1) with no statistically significant differences (p>0.05). European broiler index (EBI) was lowest in treatment T1 (220.4) and the highest in treatment T6 (298.6) with statistically significant differences (p<0.05). The calculation of the cost includes the cost of dietary mixtures and spices used in experiment. Results of the economic efficiency analyses found that the cost of broiler chickens per treatment is growing, depending on used dietary spice additive. In the treatment T2 average price of body weight gain were 0.68 €/kg which was the lowest, while in the treatment T5 the highest price of body weight gain for the entire production period were 0.82 €/kg, respectively. Results of the economic efficiency analyses found that the lowest price of body weight gain (0.68 €/kg) of chicken was recorded in treatment with garlic powder addition, while the highest (0.82 €/kg) was recorded in black pepper powder addition. This increase in the price of chicken production in compare to the control treatment T1 is negligible compared to the much better and healthier product that comes at the end which is intended for human consumption.