WATER SPINACH (IPOMOEA AQUATICA) AND MADRE DE AGUA (TRICHNATERA GIGANTEA) IS A POTENTIAL FEED SUPPLEMENT IN BROILER CHICKEN PRODUCTION

Abstract

Supplementation is the extra nutritional materials that provide health and profitability issues. This experiment evaluated the effects of water spinach (Ipomoea Aquatica) and Madre de aqua (Trichantera gigantea) as feed supplements for broiler chickens. Forty-five (45) day-olds broiler chickens were randomly allocated to three dietary treatments using a completely randomized design (CRD). The treatment consisted of three replicates and five birds per replicate. From 8-35 days (about 1 month 4 and a half days), the chickens were exposed to three different experimental treatments: Treatment 0 pure commercial feeds(control), Treatment 2-commercial feeds + 25% freshwater spinach (Ipomoea Aquatica), and Treatment 3- commercial feeds + 25% fresh Madre de Agua (Trichantera gigantea). The selected parameters of proximate analysis of feed composition of treatments were analyzed, such as crude protein, crude fat, moisture, and ash. Feed consumption was recorded daily, and feed conversion ratio (FCR) and cost-benefit ratio were calculated once. On day 35, three birds from each treatment group with almost similar body weights were selected for slaughtering carcass yields determination. There were no significant differences in broiler chickens' feed consumption, body weight, and feed conversion ratio (FCR). Further, carcass yield among the treatments revealed no significant effects. However, water spinach and Madre de Agua had no adverse impact on broiler chickens' growth performance and carcass yield. Thus, it can be a potential component of the ration and can be replaced by the lower cost and widely available water spinach and Madre de Agua.