Growth performance and nutrient digestibility of broiler chickens fed diets containing varying inclusion levels of dried watermelon rind at the starter phase

Watermelon rind is one of the several unwanted by-products generated by restaurants, fruit juice producers and food industries in Nigeria that can be gotten rid of by using it as an energy source in broiler production. The growth performance and apparent nutrient digestibility of broilers fed diets containing varying inclusion levels of dried watermelon rind (DWMR) in replacement for wheat offal as source of energy and fibre at starter phase was evaluated. The dried watermelon rind was prepared by sun-drying fresh watermelon for three days and oven-dried at 50 oC for 2 hours. The birds were randomly allocated to five (5) treatments (T1 – T5), each treatment had three replicates with ten (10) birds per replicate. The birds were fed varied levels of DWMR at 0 %, 25 %, 50 %, 75 % and 100 % in replacement of wheat offal to obtain five diets. Feed and water were provided ad-libitum throughout the 28 days study duration. Body weight, Body weight gain, Feed intake, Feed conversion ratio and apparent nutrient digestibility were measured. The results obtained on the growth performance shows no significant (P\u003e0.05) difference of the growth parameters across treatments. However, there was significant (P\u003c0.05) difference in the digestibility of Crude fibre, Ether extract, Ash, Nitrogen free extract and Total digestible nutrient across treatments. There was no obvious variation in dry matter and crude protein digestibility. The result of the total digestible nutrient was significantly (P\u003c0.05) higher in T2 (92.90 %) than the T1 (84.99 %) which was the control diet. The crude fibre digestibility recorded in T2 (63.48%) and T1 (61.09 %) is higher than T5 (43.00 %), the ether extract digestibility of T1 (96.42 %) is higher than the other groups with the lowest in T4 (95.25 %). There was depress ash digestibility in T5 (68.30 %), lower than the other groups with the highest in T1 (82.59 %). The study therefore concluded that farmers can replace wheat offal with 25 % watermelon rind in broiler starter diet without any deleterious effect in the growth performance and nutrient digestibility.\r\n \r\n \r\nLa croute de pasteque est l\u0027un des nombreux sous-produits indesirables produits par les restaurants, les producteurs de jus de fruits et les industries alimentaires au Nigeria qui peuvent etre debarrasses en l\u0027utilisant comme source d\u0027energie dans la production de poulets a griller. La performance de croissance et la digestibilite apparente des elements nutritifs des poulets de grillage nourris selon des regimes alimentaires contenant differents niveaux d\u0027inclusion de la croute de pasteque sechee (DWMR) en remplacement des aals de ble comme source d\u0027energie et de fibres a la phase de demarrage ont ete evaluees. La croute de pasteque sechee a ete preparee par pasteque fraiche sechee pendant trois jours et sechee au four a 50oC pendant 2 heures. Les oiseaux ont ete attribues au hasard a cinq (5) traitements (T1 - T5), chaque traitement avait trois repliques avec dix (10) oiseaux par replique. Les oiseaux ont ete nourris a des niveaux varies de DWMR a 0 %, 25 %, 50 %, 75 % et 100 % en remplacement des aals de ble pour obtenir cinq regimes alimentaires. L\u0027alimentation et l\u0027eau ont ete fournies ad-libitum tout au long de la duree de l\u0027etude de 28 jours. Le poids corporel, le gain de poids corporel, l\u0027apport alimentaire, le rapport de conversion des aliments pour animaux et la digestibilite apparente des nutriments ont ete mesures. Les resultats obtenus sur la performance de croissance ne montrent aucune difference significative (P\u003e0.05) des parametres de croissance entre les traitements. Cependant, il y avait une difference significative (P\u003c0.05) dans la digestibilite des fibres brutes, extrait d\u0027ether, cendres, extrait sans azote et nutriment digestible total entre les traitements. Il n\u0027y avait aucune variation evidente dans la matiere seche et la digestibilite brute de proteine. Le resultat du nutriment digestible total a ete significativement (P\u003c0.05) plus eleve en T2 (92.90 %) que le T1 (84.99%) qui etait le regime de controle. La digestibilite des fibres brutes enregistree en T2 (63.48%) et T1 (61.09 %) est plus eleve que T5 (43.00 %), la digestibilite de l\u0027extrait d\u0027ether de T1 (96.42 %) est plus eleve que les autres groupes ayant le plus faible taux de T4 (95.25 %). Il y avait une digestibilite deprimante des cendres en T5 (68.30 %), inferieure a celle des autres groupes ayant le taux le plus eleve en T1 (82.59 %). L\u0027etude a donc conclu que les agriculteurs peuvent remplacer les aals de ble par 25 % de croute de pasteque dans le regime de demarrage des poulets a griller sans aucun effet deletere dans la performance de croissance et la digestibilite des nutriments.