Influence of Acacia nilotica Seed Inclusion on Growth and Carcass Characteristics of Cobb 500 Broilers

Abstract

Chicken farming is a rapidly growing agricultural sector in Cameroon, providing income, employment, and affordable protein to many households. Moreover, Acacia nilotica contains bioactive compounds that may enhance poultry health and support sustainable production. This study investigated the effects of dietary inclusion of Acacia nilotica seed as a feed supplement on the growth performance and carcass characteristics of Cobb 500 broilers. The experiment was conducted with 144 broiler chicks, distributed into four treatment groups (TAN0, TAN3, TAN6 and TAN9) with three replicates of 12 birds each. The dietary treatments were based on different levels of A. nilotica seed meal supplementation. The results showed no significant difference in the overall average daily gain across treatments (P = 0.1227). However, significant differences were observed during weeks 1, 3, and 4 (P = 0.0072, 0.0434 and 0.0468, respectively). The feed conversion ratio was significantly influenced by the treatments (P < 0.05, on average). The group with the A. nilotica seed (TAN3) had a significantly lower FCR (1.49±0.13) compared to the other groups (TAN0, TAN6 and TAN9), which were approximately 2.1–2.2. Live weight was also significantly affected by the treatments (P = 0.0325), with Group TAN3 showing the highest weight. Regarding carcass characteristics, live weight was significantly affected by treatment (P = 0.0325), but carcass weight (P = 0.1148) and relative carcass weight (P = 0.1967) were not significantly different. There were significant differences in the weight of the heart (P = 0.0216) and neck (P = 0.0149). The study concluded that while A. nilotica seed supplementation did not significantly improve overall growth performance, it did significantly enhance feed efficiency. The study found that a low dose, particularly the 3% inclusion level (TAN3), acted as a highly effective booster. Ultimately, selling the heavier bird at a price reflecting its quality generates enough extra revenue to ensure the TAN3 group achieves the greatest net profit, maximizing the final earnings of the operation.