Effect of bone boiling duration on bone extract supplement quality for broilers as to growth performance, leg bone length, and blood profile

Abstract

This study was conducted to investigate the influence of bone boiling duration on bovine bone extract supplement quality in terms of growth performance, leg bone length, and blood profile in broilers. A total of twenty ROSS 308 broilers (initial BW of 970 ± 50 g) were randomly divided into the following 4 treatment groups: CON (basal water), T1 (1 : 1 ratio water to bone extract boiled for six hours), T2 (1 : 1 ratio water to bone extract boiled for 12 hours), and T3 (1 : 1 ratio water to bone extract boiled for 24 hours). The broilers were allowed free access to the source of fluid or diets. Average daily feed intake (ADFI), average daily gain (ADG), and feed efficiency showed no significant differences among treatments during this experiment. However, broilers fed bone extract boiled for six hours showed a tendency for increased ADG to other treatments (p < 0.17). No significant differences were observed in organ weights (liver, spleen, bursa of fabricius) or blood profiles among the treatments during the experiment, but broilers fed bone extract boiled for six hours showed a tendency for decreased cholesterol, triglycerides, and HDL compared to the control diet. In the case of leg bone length, there were significant difference (p < 0.05) on tibia and femur among treatments. It was concluded that the six hour-boiled bone extract supplementation had beneficial effects on growth performance and blood profile of broilers.