Six hundred and thirty of 8 weeks of age Dandarawi chicks were used to study the effect of type of litter and dietary molasses supplementation on the performance, carcass parts, and economic efficiency during growth period under summer season conditions of Assiut governorate. All chicks were housed in floor pens in 3 equal groups (3 replicates of 70 birds each). Each replicate was kept in a partition of 10 square meters provided with light litter (5 cm). In group 1 which served as control one, the chicks reared on wheat straw litter (WS), while the other 2 and 3 groups reared on wheat straw litter or sand with 4% molasses supplementation to the diet (WSM and SM, respectively). The photoperiod was 12 hours per day and light intensity ranged from 20 to 25 Luxes, while feed and water were available all the time. The chicks received grower diet until 20 weeks of age. The indoor temperature and humidity ranged between from 25-38°C and 40-66%, respectively.
The obtained results could be summarized as follows:
The birds reared on SM had significantly (P≤0.05) heavier body weight (BW) and daily weight gain (BWG) and it also observed that the overall mean of feed consumption (FC) increased (P≤0.05) than those of WS and WSM. The birds reared on SM showed improved (P≤0.05) feed conversion ration (FCR) than those of WS, while WSM group had an intermediate estimate. The birds of SM and WSM groups had significantly (P≤0.05) heaviest the percentages of carcass and liver as compared to the birds of WS group. The birds of group SM had significantly (P≤0.05) lower percentages of feet and shank, head, heart, gizzard and proventriculus than those of WS and WSM groups, it also showed significantly (P≤0.05) higher carcass weight and tibia bone length and diameter than those of WS and WSM groups. The birds reared on SM and WSM exceeded in WS control the economical efficiency by 21 and 17 %, respectively. In general, sand with 4% molasses supplementation to diet has shown good potential as alternative wheat straw with or without 4% molasses supplementation to diet for growing Dandarawi birds during high environmental temperature of summer season in Assiut governorate.