Abstract
A total of 1080 male broilers were raised to the age of 7 wk and distributed into 9 groups. The control group was fed a starter diet (TD) (from 0-4 wk) and then a finishing diet (TF) (from 4-7 wk) containing maize-wheat and soybean meal. Four groups were fed from birth with diets in which the soybean meal was replaced by meat meal and an association of 3 protein plants out of the 4 studied: lupin (Lupinus albus L.) field bean (Vicia faba L.), pea (Pisum sativum L.) and a lucerne protein concentrate (PX1). Four groups also received the starter diet (TD) followed by one of the finishing diets including a combination of protein plants. The energy and essential amino acid contents of the experimental diets were the same as those of the controls. The growth performance depended on the nature of the protein plants used and on the age at which the experimental diets were offered. Replacement of soybean meal by the protein plants both in the starter and in the finishing diets led to a lowering of weight gain and feed efficiency. Use of diets including lupin-field bean-pea or lupin-field bean-PX1 during the finishing period did not significantly affect the growth performance. However, the presence of peas and PX1 simultaneously always reduced the weight gain and increased the feed conversion ratio.

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