EFFECTS OF HOT RED PEPPER (Capsicum annuum) AS AN ANTIOXIDANT ON GROWTH PERFORMANCE OF BROILERS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17501/26827018.2025.10107Keywords:
antioxidant, broilers, growth performance, hot red pepper, naturally ventilated housing, phytogenicAbstract
Broilers reared in semi-environmentally controlled housing are prone to stress caused by within-season fluctuation of weather conditions linked to climate change. Plant- based derivatives, such as hot red pepper (HRP), are among the alternative phytogenics rich in antioxidants, which could reduce the effects of stress in broilers. This study assessed the effects of supplementing HRP in drinking water on the growth performance of Ross 308 and Cobb 500 broilers until day 21. The experiment was conducted in a naturally ventilated broiler house at the University of Venda’s Experimental Farm, South Africa. A 2 (broiler strains) × 3 (HRP levels of 0, 10, and 15 g/L) factorial design with three replications was adopted. The HRP was oven-dried and ground to a fine powder that passed through a 200 μm sieve. The GLM procedure in Minitab version 21.4.1 was used to analyse the data, and the Tukey test was used to separate the means. Strain × pepper interactions affected feed consumption (FC) during days 15-21 (P< 0.05) and days 8-21 (P< 0.01). Ross 308 on 15 g/L had a higher FC i) of 99 g/b/d than the 85 g/b/d observed on 0 g/L for this strain, and ii) of 81 g/b/d than the 72-75 g/b/d for Ross 308 on 0 g/L and for Cobb 500 on all pepper levels, respectively. Pepper affected (P<0.05) FCR during days 15-21. FCR was better for 0 g/L (1.32) than for 15 g/L (1.50). Strain affected (P>0.01) weight gain during days 15-21and day-21 body weight. Ross 308 gained more weight (68 g/b/d) and was heavier (948 g) than Cobb 500 (62 g/b/d and 899 g, respectively). It was deduced that the FC of Ross 308 increased when the HRP level increased, while that of Cobb 500 did not. The similarities in FCR (1.2 - 1.5) among treatments lead to the conclusion that supplementing 15 g/L HRP in drinking water benefits Ross 308 (a heavier strain). The inclusion of 15 g/L HRP for Ross 308 will benefit small-scale farmers, as birds will reach the targeted market weight earlier, resulting in savings on feeding costs and improved economic sustainability.
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