Effect of Adding Different Levels of Undecorticated Rosehip (Rosa canina L.) Fruit in the Diets on Productive Performance of Broiler Chickens

This study was conducted to investigate the efficacy of rosehip (Rosa canina L.) fruit as a natural dietary supplement on the growth response of broiler chickens. Two hundred and four unsexed day-old Cobb 500 broiler chickens were used in a 42-day trial to investigate the efficacy of undecorticated rosehip (Rosa canina L.) fruit as a natural dietary supplement on growth of chickens. Birds were grouped into four of equal number and similar live weight with three sub-groups each. One group each was randomly assigned to one dietary treatment. Experimental diets consisted of a uniform commercial basal diet in which air dried and milled rosehip fruit was added as a supplement at the rate of 0, 100, 200 and 300 g/100 kg to give diets T1, T2, T3 and T4, respectively. Data collected were on growth performance, carcass yield and GIT morphometry and were subjected to the one-way analysis of variance. Rosehip fruit supplement significantly (P<0.05) affected feed consumption, protein intake, mortality, dressed weight, percent dressed weight of wing and drumstick of chickens. Percent live weight of heart, kidney, pancreas, proventriculus and spleen varied significantly (P<0.05). Rosehip fruit supplement reduced (P<0.05) percent GIT length of large intestine and caeca at higher supplement value. Undecorticated rosehip fruit is high in crude protein, crude fibre and low in energy. Undecorticated rosehip fruit at 100 to 300 g/100 kg dietary supplementation did not enhance the growth of broiler chickens but, gave high dressing percentages of 80.03% to 80.83% comparable to 80.68% in the control group, and decreased percentage large and small intestines of the tract significantly. Undecorticated rosehip fruit can be fed as dietary supplement at the rate of 100 to 300 g/100 kg to produce broilers of high dressing percentage.