PERFORMANCE AND CARCASS GRADING CHARACTERISTICS OF BROILER CHICKENS FED RAPESEED GUMS

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Abstract
Samples of Western Canadian rapeseed and soybean meals were manufactured to contain 1.5% of rapeseed gum, a by-product of the oil-refining process. Comparable samples containing no added gums were also used. Male broiler chickens housed in floor pens receiving 20% Tower rapeseed meal with no added gums showed a significantly smaller liveweight at 49 days of age, compared to birds fed either a degummed soybean meal control diet or a diet containing soybean meal + 1.5% soybean gums. Birds offered the soybean control diet exhibited a significantly superior feed intake: body weight gain compared to all other treatments. Carcass grading according to Canada Department of Agriculture standards was not influenced by dietary treatment although birds fed the soybean meal control diet showed a significantly lower incidence of breast cysts compared to all other treatments. These results suggest that rapeseed gums per se have no deleterious effect on chicken broiler performance to 49 days of age, when used at an inclusion level of 1.5% of dietary rapeseed meal.