Growth Performance, Carcass Trait, Organ Characteristics and Lipid Profile of Broilers Fed Diets Containing Different Fat Sources Department of Animal Science Faculty of Agriculture

This study was conducted to determine the effect of four different fat sources on growth performance, carcass trait, and organ characteristics and lipid profile of broiler birds reared to 8weeks of age. One hundred and twenty day-old broiler chicks were randomly assigned to five treatments, each with three replicates of 8 chicks in a completely randomized design experiment. The dietary treatments consisted of 1% added fat from four different sources as follows: T1, diet containing no oil; T2 diet containing 1% palm oil; T3, diet containing 1% soybean oil; T4, diet containing 1% palm kernel oil and T5, diet containing 1% groundnut oil. Dietary fat type affected significantly (p<0.05) body weight gain as well as feed efficiency in birds fed the palm kernel oil diet compared with those fed the other diets. The live weight, carcass weight and dressing % of birds on T4 was significantly different (p<0.05) from all other treatments. Most of the internal organ weights of birds on T4 and T1 were significantly (p<0.05) higher than in other treatments. The abdominal fat weight of birds on T4 was significantly (p<0.05) higher than those in the other treatment. Dietary treatment had significant effect on all the parameters evaluated in the lipid profile. Birds on T4 had significantly (p<0.05) higher level of total cholesterol while birds on T3 had lower level of triglyceride. Birds on T2 and T3 had similar (p>0.05) values of Low Density Lipoprotein cholesterol while the least value was observed in the control group. Birds on T2 had the highest High Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol though this was similar to the values observed in T1 and T4. Based on the results obtained in the present study it was concluded that addition of vegetable fat from palm kernel oil and groundnut oil in broiler diets enhanced the growth performance, carcass and organ weights of birds. Birds that consumed the diets containing soybean oil had the least very low density lipoprotein, while those that consumed diet containing palm kernel oil had similar High Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol value with birds on control.