Effect of different levels of dried sweet orange (Citrus sinensis) peel on broiler chickens growth performance

The trial was conducted to evaluate the effect of different levels of dried sweet orange (Citrus sinensis) peel on growth performance in broilers. A total of 400 male broiler chicks (Ross-308) were randomly allocated to treatments varying in supplemental DSOP. The dietary groups consisted of five diets fed for 42 days: control diet without feed additive, diet containing 1.5 % feed additive only in starter phase, diet containing 1.5 % feed additive during whole period (starter + grower), diet containing 3 % feed additive only in starter phase, diet containing 3 % feed additive during whole period. The growth responses achieved by broilers from all groups complied with the standards. However, adding up to 3 % DSOP in diet seems to depress feed intake, body weight gain increasing feed conversion ratio of both starter and growing broilers. Conversely, DSOP in the proportion of 1.5 % of feed seems to promote feed intake and weight gain in the period between the 1-21 days of age, indicating that DSOP can constitute a useful additive in the feeding of broilers. Further research is needed to assess the effects of DSOP to improve its suitability as a feed resource for poultry production.