Introduction: The possibility of feeding diets containing different levels of crude fiber (3.5, 5.0, 6.5, and 8.0%) in mash or pelleted form on the performance, carcass traits, meat chemical composition and blood biochemistry of broilers during a rearing period from 21-49 days of age was experimented on.
Birds, Materials and Methods: A total number of 320 one day old of mixed Hubbard chicks were randomly allotted into four collections, each was subdivided to two groups of 40/each. A commercial iso-caloric iso-nitrogenous mash and pelleted diets of the same feed ingredients were fed for all 8 experimental groups from 0–3 weeks. In the first two groups, birds were fed ad-libitum on broiler grower-finisher experimental diets containing 3.5% crude fiber level in mash or pelleted form while the second, third and fourth collections (groups from 3 to 8) were fed diets with fiber levels of 5.0, 6.5 and 8.0% respectively. All single groups were fed on mash diets, while pelleted diets were fed to the paired groups.
Results: The groups fed diet having 3.5 and 5.0% CF recorded nearly equal total feed conversion ratio (1.98 and 1.99, respectively). More food was consumed and less weight gained and by turn higher feed conversion values (2.27 and 2.52) were recorded by the groups fed diets having 6.5 and 8.0% CF respectively. The total weight gain of the groups fed the two diet forms was nearly equal, while pelleting the diet reduced the feed consumption and subsequently, improved the feed conversion during the whole experimental period. Along the whole experimental period, pelleting slightly improved BW, WG and FCR in groups fed diets having 3.5 and 5.0% CF. The groups fed mash and pelleted diets having 6.5 and 8.0% CF recorded higher values for FCR (2.34, 2.26, 2.68 and 2.45) than that recorded by the group fed mash diet having 3.5% CF. There were no significant differences in the dressed carcass, proventriculus percentages, serum biochemical parameters and meat chemical composition among all the treated groups. The group fed on mash diet having 8.0% CF recorded the highest gizzard weight, while the group fed on pelleted diet having 3.5% CF scorded the lowest gizzard weight. The groups fed the pelleted diets recorded significantly lower serum triglycerides levels than that recorded by the groups fed the mash diets.
Conclusion: The best performance was obtained for the groups fed on the pelleted diet than that fed on mash diet up to 6.5% CF level.