Effect of Honey and Vitamin C on the Growth Performance of Broiler Chickens

Abstract

Most African countries experience the challenge of food shortage, primarily protein from animal origin. The current research was conducted to examine the effect of honey and vitamin C on the growth performance of broiler chickens. This study employed sixty broiler chickens that were four weeks old which were assigned to four dietary treatments.Treatment 1 was assigned to broilers in cage A which contained no honey and no vitamin C (Control) in their drinking water. Treatment 2 was assigned to broilers in cage B which contained only 5 ml of honey (H). Treatment 3 was assigned to broilers in cage C which contained only 100 mg of vitamin C (C). Treatment 4 was assigned to broilers in cage D which contained 5 ml of honey and 100 mg of vitamin C (HC). This study lasted for 10 weeks and the following parameters were monitored: weight gain and feed intake. The data collected were subjected to analysis of variance at 5% significant level. The result of this study revealed that the highest feed intake (P<0.05) was recorded in the broilers on Treatment 4 (4182.67 g) followed by those in Treatment 3 (4044.33 g), while the least feed intake was recorded in Treatment 1 (2096.67 g). Broilers on Treatment 4 gained the most weight (2013.333g), whereas those on Treatment 1 gained the least (1422.00g). The broilers in Treatment 4 had the highest specific growth rate (10.84g%/day), whereas Treatment 1 had the lowest (10.33g%/day). The highest feed conversion ratio was recorded in the broilers on Treatment 1 (1.49) while the least was recorded in Treatment 3 (2.50). There was significant difference (P<0.05) among the feed conversion ratio of broiler chicks given the four treatments after 10 weeks. It was concluded that it is better to use a combination of 5 ml honey and 100 mg vitamin C than using honey and vitamin C separately to improve the growth performance of broiler chickens.