Growth Performance and Carcass Characteristics of Broilers Fed Diets Containing Various Duration of Water Soaked Sweet Orange Peels

An experiment was conducted with one hundred and eighty (180) unsexed day old broiler chicks of Arbor acre strain to investigate the effect of feeding diets supplemented with water soaked sweet orange peel meal (SOP) on the performance and carcass characteristics of broiler chicken. The broiler chickens were randomly distributed into six (6) dietary treatments of 30 birds per treatment which were further distributed into three (3) replicates of 10 birds per replicate from day old, in a completely randomized design. Six dietary treatments were formulated such that, T1 which is control was maize based. In diets 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, sweet orange peels replaced maize at various duration of water soaked, 0, 24, 48, 72 and 96 hours respectively and incorporated at 30% inclusion. Data were collected on feed intake and weekly weight gain. Six (6) birds were randomly selected per treatment starved over night, weighed and sacrificed by cervical dislocation for carcass analysis. Result reveals significant (p<0.05) difference in daily feed intake, there was no significant (p>0.05) difference on final weight and daily weight gain. The result of carcass characteristics showed no significant (p>0.05) difference in carcass cut and internal organs. It can be concluded that supplementing broiler diets with water soaked sweet orange peels had no detrimental effects on the performance and carcass characteristics.