Utilization of Mesta (Hibiscus sabdariffa) seeds in broiler ration

An experiment was conducted to study the effect of mesta seeds incorporation in broiler rations. One hundred twenty broilers divided into four treatments comprising 15 birds each in two replications. The dietary treatments comprised of T, control with basal ration containing maize and soya DOC, T₂, (15% mesta seeds), T₃ (30% mesta seeds) and T₄ (45% mesta seeds). The study revealed that inclusion of mesta seeds beyond 15% resulted in significant (P<0.01) reduction in body weight and feed conversion efficiency at 6 weeks of age. The digestibility coefficients of all the nutrients varied significantly (P < 0.01) between different treatments. The incorporation of mesta seeds in broiler ration did not show any adverse effect on haemobiochemical profile. The mortality in T₁, T₂, T₃ and T₄ was 10, 10, 20 and 60 per cent respectively. The cost of feedlkg live weight gain for T₁, T₂, T₃ and T₄ were pics 18.81, 18.73, 23.96 and 28.70, respectively It was concluded that mesta (Hibiscus sabdariffa) seeds can be incorporated up to 15 per cent in broiler ration without affecting performance.