THE USE OF DATES AND DATE PITS IN BROILER STARTER AND FINISHER DIETS

Two trials were conducted to investigate the use of dates and date pit s in broiler rations. The objectives Of Trial I were to re-examine the effect of using date pits ill broiler finisher diets on growth perfor mance, and to determine if the positive effect on broiler weight gain was due to high levels of added fat in the diet or to date pits per se . In Trial 1, 160 commercial broiler chicks, 21 days old, were divided randomly into rearing pens, each housing IO chicks. The experimental treatments consisted of forts different diets with forts replicates ea ch (40 chicks/treatment). The diets were isonitrogenous (20% CP) and i socaloric (3.2 Mcal/kg). In Diet 1 (Control-A) no date pits were added . In Diet 2 (Control-B) no date pits were added, but cellulose was add ed as a fillet; and the level of corn oil was 8.9%. In Diet 3 date pit s were added as 10% of the diet and oil was 8.9%. In Diet 4 date pits treated with sulfuric acid were added as 10% of the diet and oil was 8 .9%. The diets were fed on an ad libitum basis up to 6 weeks of age Du ring week five, date pits added to Diets 3 and 4 significantly (P < 0. 05) improved the body weight of chicks, compared to those chicks fed t he control diets. Total body weight gain of chicks fed Diet 3 was sign ificantly different from those receiving Diets I and 2. The addition o f treated date pits to the finishing ration (Diet 4) significantly, im proved the efficiency of feed utilization of birds fed this diet compa red to chicks fed Diet 2. The objective of Trial 2 was to study, the e ffect of date pits, whole dates and date fruit in broiler-starter rati ons on growth performance. In Trial 2, 1 day-old chicks were fed four different diets. Each diet was fed to four replicate groups of IO chic ks each. Diet I (Control) was a corn-soybean starter diet; Diets 2, 3 and 4 were corn-soybean diets containing 8% date pits, 10% whole dates and 10% dare fruit respectively. The addition of date pits and date f ruit to the diets significantly improved the body weight of chicks fed these diets compared to chicks fed the control diet after the first 2 weeks of the trial At week I, body weight gain of chicks receiving Di ets 2 and 4 was significantly higher than that of chicks receiving the control diet After 4 weeks, total body weight gain of all chicks Il a s not significantly different Similar trends were observed regarding t he effect of dietary treatments on the efficiency of feed utilization (feed/gain); that is, no significant effects were observed. (C) 1998 E lsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.