EFFECT OF DIETARY SUPPLEMENTATION WITH DIFFERENT LEVELS OF L-CARNITINE ON PRODUCTIVE AND ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE OF BROILER CHICKENS

Abstract

The experiment was conducted between March 8th, 2017 and April 26th, 2017 at the Poultry Farm of Animal Sciences Department, College of Agricultural Sciences, Sulaimani University to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation with different levels of L-carnitine on economic productivity and performance of broiler chickens. By using 260 one-day old of Ross 308 broiler chicks, divided into 5 treatments and 4 replicates based on completely randomized design for 49 days. Feed and water were providedas ad libitum. Chicks were divided into five treatments 52 birds for each treatment. Each treatment contained four replicates of 13 birds. Dietary L-carnitine was added to the diet from the first day to the end of experimental which lasted 49 days at levels of 0% (Control), 0.01% (T1), 0.02% (T2), 0.04% (T3) and 0.08% (T5). The body weight had significantly (p<0.05) affected by L-carnitine supplementation at period 6 and 7, feed intake at 6th, 7th and 8th period, L-carnitine had a significantly (p<0.05) effect on weight gain at 6th and 8th period, it had significant effect on feed conversion ratio at 5th and 6th period. While L-carnitine had no significant effect on the overall body weight, weight gain, feed intake and feed conversion ratio at the final of the experiment. However, L-carnitine had no significant effect on dressing percentage with and without giblets while it had a significantly (p<0.05) effect on abdominal fat at T5 compare to other treatments. In addition, there were no significant effects of treatments on the economic index (European Production Efficiency Factor and European Broiler Index).