BALED SACCHARINA FOR BROILER FEEDING .2. SACCHARINA DIRECTLY BALED AND LATER FERMENTED

Six hundred and thirty E24 broilers from 7 to 49 days of age of both s exes were used to evaluate Saccharina directly baled and later ferment ed in the same bale as a partial substitute of cereals in initial and finalization fattening stages. The chicks were placed according to a c ompletely randomized design with three treatments and seven replicatio ns each: control, 5 and 10% baled Saccharina. Consumption (4034, 3940 and 3578 g/bird) and traditional feed conversion (2.08, 2.11 and 1.92) respectively showed that there may be saving in raw materials when Sa ccharina substituted the cereal, although the live weight of broilers (2041, 1956 and 1951 g/bird) were reduced. Other risk benefit studies of Saccharina utilization for poultry feeding are necessary.