Supplementation of sediment sapropel for poultry feed

Abstract

In order to find a local, natural, and safe feed for young poultry, the sapropel diet supplementation was researched. Sapropel effectiveness of appointed chemical composition was evaluated considering body weight, digestibility, development of the digestive tract and meat quality indices of duckling and gosling. Organic sapropel seems to be perspective for diet supplement due to sufficient content of organic material (86.5%), 2.06% N and 12.70% minerals in dry material (DM). Sapropel is safe supplement due to low contents of nitrate (409.01 mg kg-1) and heavy metals (1.72– 10.01 mg kg-1). Presence of 7 essential, 3 conditionally essential (His, Tyr and Arg) and limiting (Lys, Trp, Met, Cys) amino acids proved the sapropel suitability for young poultry feeding. Ducklings diet supplemented with 6% of sapropel and goslings unsupplemented with it (control group, CG) resulted in the most effective feed conversion rate (3.62 and 3.83 respectively). Meal-based diet supplemented with 9% of sapropel resulted in the highest body weight: 1931 and 2704 g of 40 and 50 days ducklings; 1766 and 3772 g of 20 and 60 days goslings respectively. 9% sapropel supplementation increased body weight of 50 days ducklings and 60 days and goslings by 5% and 9% points respectively. Ducklings diet supplemented with 9% sapropel caused better feed assimilation with the highest meat yield (66.7%) exceeding CG by 1.6%. Also 1.7% and 1.1% increase of DM and fat, respectively, in duckling carcass meat were observed. However, the meat quality indices of goslings occurred to be better of CG than those of the 4 experimental group supplemented with 9% of sapropel possible due to larger body–build and nutritious needs than that of ducklings.