Folic acid supplement for broilers fed guinea corn-palm kernel-meal based diet

Abstract

Eight duplicate groups of 20 day-old commercial broiler chicks each were raised in deep litter up to 42 days and fed on guinea corn-palm kernel-meal based diet with or without folic acid supplementation (i.e., 0, 0, 0.25, 0.50, 0.75, 1.00, 1.25 1.50 and 1.75ppm). Growth, feed utilization and nutrient retention data, haematological picture, incidence of leg abnormalities and carcass studies indicated that broilers maintained on folic acid unsupplemented basal diet suffered vitamin deficiency, and that a dietary supplement of 0.75 ppm folic acid was adequate for good performance.