Variations in the nutrient content of the commercial broiler feeds manufactured by different feed companies in Bangladesh

Abstract

The study was undertaken to investigate the variations in the chemical composition of different broiler starter and finisher feeds produced by different feed companies in Bangladesh. The test results of two hundred twenty different broiler starter and finisher feeds were collected from the Poultry Research and Training Centre (PRTC) laboratory of Chattogram Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Chattogram, Bangladesh. Samples were analyzed in triplicate for dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), crude fiber (CF), ether extracts (EE) and total ash (TA). Results indicated that there were significant (p<0.001) variations in the CP, CF, EE, TA, and P contents of the broiler starter feeds with the recommended standards. The CP varied from 18.7 to 25.5, CF 2.9 to 7.5, EE 5.0 to 8.1, TA 5.2 to 8.1 and P 0.4 to 1.0. Similarly, the CF, EE, TA, Ca, and P contents of the broiler finisher feed differed (p<0.001) with the recommended standards. The CF varied from 3.4 to 8.2, EE 3.8 to 9.8, TA 4.5 to 7.0, Ca 0.6 to 3.1, and P 0.4 to 1.1. Multiple correlation coefficient matrices indicated that there were significant (p<0.05) positive relationships between CF and CP (r=0.25), TA and CP (r=0.39) and P and Ca (r=0.57). However, Ca and CF were significantly (p<0.05) negatively correlated (r= -0.22) in the broiler starter feeds. Accordingly, there were significant (p<0.05) positive relationships of CF with CP (r=0.34), EE with CP (r=0.30) and CF and P (r=0.20), TA with CP (r=0.33) and P with TA (r=0.27) and Ca (0.66) in the broiler finisher feeds. It was concluded that all the commercial broiler feeds should be tested by the reference laboratories before use.