Performance, carcass and meat quality of broilers raised at a high stocking density and supplemented with encapsulated Cosmos caudatus K. leaf extract

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of supplementation of encapsulated Cosmos cau-datus K. leaf extract (ECLE) on performance, carcass and meat quality of broilers at high density pens. Three hundred and seventy broiler chicks were divided into 5 treatments and 5 replications. The treat-ment was conducted on days 15 to 42 in T0 group (10 chicks/m2 + basal feed), T1 (16 chicks/m2 + ba-sal feed), T2 (16 chicks/m2 + basal feed containing ECLE 0.5 g/kg feed), T3 (16 chicks/m2 + ECLE 1.0 g/kg feed), and T4 (16 head/m2 + ECLE 1.5 g/kg feed). ECLE reduced feed consumption, increased body weight gain, improved feed conversion ratio (FCR), increased the European Production Efficien-cy Factor (EPEF) and European Broiler Index (EBI) in T2 and T3 (P<0.05). Carcass weight and per-centage were increased in T3 and T4 (P<0.05). Breast percentage was higher (P<0.05) in T0, T1 and T2; wing and thigh percentages were higher (P<0.05) in T3 and T4; drumstick and giblet percentages were lower (P<0.05) in T3. Drumstick’s pH were higher (P<0.05) in T2, T3 and T4. Thigh fat de-creased (P<0.05) at T4. The redness (a*) in T3 and T4 were significantly better. Overall, at high densi-ty pens, ECLE at 0.5 g/kg feed enhanced broiler performance, carcass percentage, and breast meat quality.