Effect of Raw, Cooked and Soaked Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) on Broiler Performance

This experiment was carried out to determine the effects of different levels of (Kabuli) chickpea grains with different processing methods on the performance of broilers. In a factorial experiment with completely randomized design, 576 Rose broiler chicks were divided into 16 treatments with three replications of 12 chicks each. The first factor comprised three levels of chickpea (10, 20 and 30 percent) in ration, and the second factor five processing methods of chickpea (raw, cooked for 10 and 20 mins, and soaked for 24 and 48 hrs). Treatments included one control ration (without chickpea) and 15 experimental rations, all of which were isoenergetic and isonitrogenous. The experimental period lasted 8 weeks for the 1 to 56 day old chicks. Body weight gain, feed intake, feed conversion ratio were determined at three age periods of 7 to 21, 7 to 42 and 7 to 56 days. Carcass, abdominal fat, intestine and pancreas weight percentages to live weight were measured. Maximum body weight gain belonged to chickens fed on %30 chickpea grains soaked for 48h in age periods of 7 to 42 and 7 to 56 days, which was significantly different from control diet (P<0.05). The effect of chickpea grains levels and processing methods on chicken feed intake in age periods of 7 to 56 days was not significant. Interaction effects of chickpea levels with processing methods on feed conversion ratio in three age periods was not significant either. The effect of chickpea grains levels and processing methods on carcass, abdominal fat and intestine weight percentages to live weight were not significant except for the pancreas weight percentage (P<0.05). Therefore, it seems that chickpea grain is a suitable source of energy and protein in broiler diet (20% as raw or 30% as soaked for 48% h) when soyabean meals and corn grains are unavailable.