Determining Appropriate Amount of Redworm Meal Supplemented in the Diet of Broiler (Ho x Luong Phuong) in the Open Air Production System

A study was carried out on 168 heads of broiler chicken (Ho x Luong Phuong) from 5 to 12 weeks of age to measure the effect of red worm meal (Perionyx excavatus) used as a rich protein feed in the diet on growth performance, feed conversion and meat quality. Based on a completely randomized design, chickens were divided into four groups, involving a control group and three experimental groups corresponding to three levels of red worm meal, viz 8 and 6g/kg of feed (level 1), 13 and 10g/kg of feed (level 2), 18 and 14 g/kg of feed (level 3) according to two respectively growth periods of chicken (from 5 to 8 weeks of age and from 9 to 12 weeks of age. The results showed that supplementation of redworm meal with level 3 in the diets resulted in higher growth rate (P<0.05), lower feed consumption (reducing by 0.53 kg of feed/kg of weight gain, equal to 13.8%) and more improved of yellowness value (P<0.05) than those of control group. Adding redworm to chicken’s diets didn’t affect significantly other characteristics of meat quality (pH, drip and cooking loss, L* and a* values). If cost of worm is not calculated, feed price and feed cost per each kilogram of weight gain in group 3 will be reduced by 287 VND/kg and 4278 VND/kg, corresponding to 4.51% and 17.47% as compared with those of control one.