USE OF SUNFLOWER SEED MEAL IN BROILER DIETS

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of partially dehulled and extracted Austrian sunflower seed meal in broiler diets without supplementation of amino acids on fattening and slaughter performance as well as litter consistency, composition of meat, organoleptic criteria of meat and fatty acids composition. A feeding trial was carried out over a period of 42 days on four groups of broilers with a total number of 1300 broilers. The diet of group 1 consisted of 62.5 % corn, 25.0 % soybean meal, 4 % fish meal, 2 % animal meal, 3 % rapeseed oil and 3.5 % mineral, vitamin and active ingredient premix. 5 % sunflower seed meal in group 2, 10 % in group 3 and 15 % in group 4 replaced soybean meal and part of the corn. To achieve isoenergetic diets rapeseed oil was increased from group 1-4 from 3.0, 3.6, 4.3 and 5.0 % respectively. Fattening and slaughter performances showed significant differences only in the protein efficency. Weight gain of group 1-4 were 1693, 1732, 1733, 1702 g respectively. The litter consistency was also not effected by feeding sunflower seed meal up to 15 % to the broilers. Significant differences in meat and fatty acids composition as well as organoleptic criteria were found. In comparison with group 1, the use of 15 % sunflower seed meal led to lower crude protein content in the thigh. It can be concluded from the data presented here, that 10 % partially dehulled sunflower seed meal without supplementation of amino acids can be used in broiler diets without any negative effects.