Effect of various levels of trace mineral sources on growth performance of commercil broiler chicken

Abstract

The effects of varying trace mineral source inclusion levels on the growth performance of commercial broiler chickens were assessed using a controlled experimental investigation. A total of 120 day-old Cobb-400 chicks with identical ages and genetic backgrounds were split into five nutritional treatment groups at random, with four duplicates of 24 birds in each group. 100% inorganic trace minerals (ITM) were added to the basal diet of the control group (T1), while OTM gradually replaced ITM in different ratios in the experimental diets: T2 = 75% ITM + 25% OTM, T3 = 50% ITM + 50% OTM, T4 = 25% ITM + 75% OTM, and T5 = 100% OTM. Key growth performance metrics, such as live body weight, body weight gain, and feed conversion ratio (FCR), were carefully documented every week for all duplicates over the six-week trial period. Data analysis showed that birds fed the T5 diet, which completely substituted organic sources for inorganic trace minerals, had significantly (p