Effects of adding dietary bakery waste to corn on broiler growth performance, carcass traits, and feed costs.

BACKGROUND AND AIM

The rising cost of corn in livestock feed has driven interest in alternative feed ingredients. Bakery waste, a byproduct of bakery production, presents a viable substitute for corn in broiler diets. This study evaluated the effects of replacing 40% of dietary corn with bakery waste on broiler growth performance, carcass traits, and feed costs. We hypothesized that this substitution would maintain performance while reducing feed costs.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A total of 240 1-day-old Ross 308 broiler chicks were randomly assigned to two dietary treatments: (T1) A control diet with 100% corn and (T2) a diet replacing 40% of corn with bakery waste. Each group had six replicates of 20 birds, housed under identical conditions with ad libitum access to feed and water for 35 days. Growth performance (feed intake [FI], body weight gain [BWG], and feed conversion ratio [FCR]) was assessed at different growth stages. Carcass traits were evaluated in selected birds, and feed cost per kilogram gain (FCG) was calculated. Statistical analysis was performed using a paired Student's t-test, with significance set at p < 0.05.

RESULTS

No significant differences were observed in FI, BWG, or FCR between groups across all growth phases (p > 0.05). However, FCG was significantly lower in the T2 group compared to T1 (p < 0.05), indicating reduced feed costs. Carcass traits showed no major differences except for significantly lower eviscerated carcass yield and breast yield in the T2 group (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Replacing 40% of corn with bakery waste in broiler diets is a cost-effective strategy without adverse effects on growth performance. However, the reduction in breast yield suggests potential amino acid imbalances, warranting further investigation into nutrient digestibility and fat deposition. Future research should optimize bakery waste inclusion levels to ensure economic feasibility while maintaining meat quality.