Fermented Corn Chaff as a Sustainable Feed Additive for Broiler Chick Production

Abstract

The increasing demand for poultry products necessitates sustainable feed additives. Corn chaff, an agricultural waste, is underutilized. While fermentation enhances nutritional value, its impact on broiler chick production remains unclear, leaving a gap in understanding its effects on growth performance and gut health, creating a need to investigate its potential as a sustainable feed additive.. This study evaluated the effect of fermented corn chaff as a chicken additive for healthy broiler chicks. The fermenter, identified as Lactobacillus acidophilus strain DSM20079 (LADSM), was characterized culturally, morphologically, and biochemically. The study showed significant increases (p<0.05) in body weights of test chicks from week 1 (186 g) to week 6 (1824 g) compared to controls (1442 g). Organ weights were similar between groups (p>0.05). Feed conversion ratio (FCR) was lower in test group from week 3-6 (p<0.05). Hematological indices revealed increased WBC (13.68 vs 12.88 x10^9L), RBC (7.89 vs 7.37 x10^12L), and lymphocytes (73.30% vs 50.70%) in test group (p<0.05). The study concludes that fermented corn chaff exhibits growth-promoting activity and can be used as an additive for healthy broiler chicks.