Effects of Different Levels of Hydrolyzed Feather Powder on Performance and Serum Biochemical Parameters in Broiler Chickens

In order to investigate the effect of different levels of hydrolyzed feather powder on performance and serum biochemical parameters of broiler chickens, an experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design with four treatments, six replications and 26 birds per replicate from 15 to 42 days of age. Experimental treatments included: diet without hydrolyzed feather powder (control), and diets containing one, two, and three percent of hydrolyzed feather powder. The results of this experiment showed that the use of hydrolyzed feather powder up to level of three percent had no significant effect on body weight, feed intake, feed conversion ratio, livability and production index compared to control group. The use of hydrolyzed powder in diet significantly reduced the cost of feed per kg of live body weight (P<0.01). Blood parameters such as albumin, globulin, total protein, cholesterol, high density lipoprotein (HDL)- cholesterol and triglycerides were not affected by hydrolyzed feather meal levels. Ileal protein digestibility of hydrolyzed feather powder was measured 75.17%. Totally, due to the lower feed cost per kg of obtained live body weight and the ability of hydrolyzed feather powder to provide part of dietary protein, the use of three percent hydrolyzed feather powder in broilers diet is recommended.