PSVII-31 Animal acceptability and performance trail of olive pomace on Gallus gallus domesticus

With feed being a costly input, the goal of any producer is to find feed sources that provide a balance of nutrients that meet the requirements for maintenance, growth, and performance while efficiently contributing to favorable carcass attributes at a low cost. Olive pomace is a by-product of the olive oil industry which can serve as a source of fat (14%), protein (3.6%), and fiber (44.5%). This by-product has potential as a supplemental source of energy and other essential nutrients to be blended into livestock rations. The objective of this study was to conduct an animal acceptability and performance trial using a mixture of olive pomace and commercial poultry feed to determine which blend of feed and pomace would be most acceptable or most desired by broilers. Two pens, consisting of 20 broilers at 34d of age when put on trial, were provided three mixtures of feed in separate feeders. Feeders were filled with either a 1:3, 1:1, or 3:1 olive pomace to commercial broiler feed mixture. Daily consumption rates were used to determine ration preference. The troughs were rotated, twice daily, within each pen to eliminate location preference. The broilers found the 1:3 ratio to be the most preferred (P < 0.01), while the 3:1, and 1:1 ratio did not differ (P < 0.39). In the performance trial, the same broilers were fed the same rations along with a control group for 27d. No difference was detected in body weight at either d0 (P = 0.98) or d27 (P = 0.78) across treatment groups. In comparison to control, 1:1 had a 3% decrease, and 3:1 had a 13% decrease in cost, while, 1:3 had a 4.2 % increase per bird in cost when compared to control. In conclusion, olive pomace can be a cost effective feed supplement for broilers and maintain efficiency of gain.