Effect of Incorporating Hibiscus sabdariffa Seed Flour (Red Variety) on Zootechnical Performance of Broilers Chickens Cobb500 Strain

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate effects of incorporating red Hibiscus sabdariffa seed meal into the feed ration on the growth performance, carcass characteristics and economic margins of broiler chickens in Côte d'Ivoire. To achieve this, 237 broiler chicks of the Cobb500 strain, two (2) weeks old, were divided into three (3) lots of 79 birds each. lot 1 was fed with ration that did not contain Hibiscus sabdariffa red variety (HSR0) seed meal. Lots 2 and 3 were fed respectively by ration HSR 2% and HSR 4% by which contain 2 % and 4 % of Hibiscus sabdariffa seed meal respectively. The results showed that the inclusion of Hibiscus sabdariffa seeds significantly reduced food consumption in subjects fed HSR 2 and HSR 4 compared with ration  HSR 0 (control). It varied from 38.71 ± 1.26 g/d to 161 ± 5.08 g/d for lot 2 and from 37.85 ± 1.16 g/d to 148 ± 6.08 g/d for lot 3 compared with 39.8±1.3 g/dr to 172 ± 7.2 g/d for lot 1. On  other hand, the subjects in lot 2 achieved better growth performance than the other lots. They recorded an average weight of 2,334±208.6 g compared with 2,213 ± 170.78 g and 1,958 ± 182.57 g for lots 1 and 3 respectively. Over the 4-week period, the highest mortality rate was observed in lot 1, at 10.13 %. No negative effect was observed on the carcass yield of chickens fed Hibiscus sabdariffa meal. In economic terms, incorporation reduced the production cost of broilers. In conclusion Hibiscus sabdariffa seeds can therefore be incorporated up to 2% into chicken rations without causing any significant loss in chicken weight. Studies need to be carried out to improve the organoleptic quality of Hibiscus sabdariffa seeds.