Broiler response to partial replacement of groundnut cake with soaked chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) and enzyme supplementation.

This study evaluated the effects of partially replacing groundnut cake with soaked chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) seeds, with or without enzyme supplementation, on growth performance, carcass traits, serum biochemical indices, and intestinal histopathology of broiler chickens. A total of 200 day-old unsexed Ross 308 chicks (initial body weight: 39.5 ± 0.17 g) were randomly assigned to five dietary treatments, each with four replicates of ten birds each in a completely randomized design. The experimental diets included a control diet without chickpea seeds and diets in which 45% and 60% of groundnut cake were replaced with soaked chickpea seeds, with or without enzyme supplementation. All birds were fed isocaloric and isonitrogenous diets during the starter (1 to 3 weeks) and finisher (4 to 6 weeks) phases, and reared in an open-sided poultry house. Overall body weight gain and feed intake were not significantly affected (P ≥ 0.05) by the dietary treatments. However, feed conversion ratio (FCR) was significantly (P ≤ 0.05) worsened in birds fed chickpea-based diets compared with the control. Enzyme supplementation did not significantly improve growth performance across all phases. Serum cholesterol was significantly (P ≤ 0.05) reduced in birds fed diets containing 60% chickpea replacement, while enzyme supplementation had no significant (P ≥ 0.05) effect. Histopathological examination revealed mild to moderate alterations in liver and intestinal tissues at higher inclusion levels, particularly in diets without enzyme supplementation. In conclusion, soaked chickpea seeds can replace up to 45% of groundnut cake in broiler diets, however, higher inclusion levels may impair feed efficiency and health status. Higher inclusion levels may compromise feed efficiency and intestinal integrity, even with enzyme supplementation.