Soybean vs. Pea Bean in the Diet of Medium-Growing Broiler Chickens Raised under Semi-Intensive Conditions of Inner Mediterranean Areas: Growth Performance and Environmental Impact

Abstract

The effects of Glycine max L. (SOY) vs. Pisum sativum L. (PEA) in the diet were investigated on in vivo performance of two medium-growing broiler genotypes and on environmental impact. Sixty Kabir Red Plus and sixty New Red chickens were randomly allocated in 20 pens (n = 6 birds per pen). Each pen, i.e., experimental unit, received 1.18 kg dry matter (DM) including soybean (3.39%) in SOY, or pea bean (6.78%) in PEA groups. DM intake, DM refusals and bodyweight (BW) were recorded on pen basis, and average daily gain (ADG) and feed conversion rate (FCR) were calculated. Data on in vivo performance were processed by ANOVA General Linear Model followed by Student–Newman–Keuls post hoc test. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions were evaluated on a year basis by GLEAM-i software. The diet did not affect (p > 0.05) DM intake and DM refusals, BW, ADG and FCR. Diet x genotypes affected (p < 0.05) DM intake and DM refusals. PEA diet, cheaper than SOY diet, allowed the reduction in total GHG and CO2, and of meat emission intensity. However, an increase in total CH4 and N2O emissions was observed. The replacement of soybean with pea bean can represent a possible management strategy to reach trade-off between good farming practices and environmental protection on small-scale poultry farms of inner Mediterranean areas.

Carcass and Meat Quality Traits of Medium-Growing Broiler Chickens Fed Soybean or Pea Bean and Raised under Semi-Intensive Conditions

“…Compared with KB chickens, NR chickens were heavier ( p < 0.01) with higher carcass and cuts (breast, legs and wings) weights ( p < 0.01); in addition, NR showed higher carcass and breast yields ( p < 0.01), while leg and wing yields were similar ( p > 0.05) between the studied genotypes. The results observed for the carcass traits could be explained by the greater adaptability of NR birds to the management and environmental farm conditions as reported in our study [ 12 ] and by the positive correlations between live weight and the weights of carcass parts [ 32 ]. Breast muscle, the main valuable part of the carcass, expressed as a percentage (ranging from 21.18 to 22.67 %), calculated as breast meat weight divided by hot carcass weight, is similar to that reported in the medium-growing chicken Hubbard JA757 [ 33 ] and higher compared with slow-growing ISA Dual chickens.…”

“…Growth performance results (body weight, feed intake, and feed conversion ratio) regarding all reared chickens (120) are reported by Fatica et al [ 12 ]. Final body weight (BW) and carcass traits of slaughtered chickens are reported in Table 2 .…”

“…Twenty day-old medium-growing male chickens, Kabir Rosso Plus (KB, n = 60) and New Red (NR, n = 60), vaccinated according to the current commercial practice, were housed and randomly divided into 4 groups according to genotype (KB and NR) and dietary treatment (soybean, SOY and pea bean, PEA) of 5 replicate pens/group with 6 birds/pen (KB-SOY, NR-SOY, KB-PEA, NR-PEA). Birds were reared in similar spatial and environmental conditions as reported by Fatica et al [ 12 ]. The feeding trial lasted 36 days (from 47 to 83 days of age) preceded by an adaptation period as reported by Fatica et al [ 12 ].…”

“…Birds were reared in similar spatial and environmental conditions as reported by Fatica et al [ 12 ]. The feeding trial lasted 36 days (from 47 to 83 days of age) preceded by an adaptation period as reported by Fatica et al [ 12 ]. Two isonitrogenous and isoenergetic experimental diets were formulated according to birds’ nutritional needs, including either flaked soybean (SOY) or pea bean (PEA); moreover, fava bean ( Vicia faba L.) and wheat products, locally available, were included in both diets.…”

“…Current varieties of legumes contain low levels of antinutrients making them candidates for use as high-protein sources in poultry diet [ 8 ]. On the other hand, the results of our previous work [ 12 ] indicated that the replacement of soybean with raw pea beans could be an economically and environmentally sustainable feeding strategy for inner areas of central South Italy. Pea cultivation in the inner areas of the southern Apennines is practiced to alleviate the problems of cereal monoculture, as well as to improve the productive performance of mixed agro-forestry systems and connect these with livestock farming in an eco-sustainable farming perspective [ 13 ].…”