In dry and semi-arid environments, prickly pears (Opuntia ficus-indica) are commonly used for their nutritional and commercial value. Cladodes are used for animal feed, and the fruits are consumed as a traditional food. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of incorporating Opuntia ficus-indica (O. ficus-indica) fruit seeds and cakes into broiler chickens' diets. A total of 100 one-day-old broiler chickens with an average body weight of 52 grams were reared for 49 days and allocated to four dietary treatments. The first group received diets supplemented with 5% O. ficus-indica fruit seed (S5), and the second group received diets supplemented with 10% O. ficus-indica (S10). The third group received either fruit seed cakes at 5% (C5), and the fourth group received fruit seed cakes at 10% (C10). Broiler growth performance and efficiency were assessed weekly. Mortality was recorded for all groups during each rearing phase, and seven carcass characteristics were documented for ten broiler chickens at the end of the trial. Finally, to evaluate the safety of the plant inclusion, a panel of blood biochemical parameters, including total protein, cholesterol, urea, creatinine, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and triglycerides, was analyzed on day 49. Supplementing at 10% notably increased carcass weight and yield, and both 5% and 10% levels significantly enhanced feed efficiency across the groups. Group S5 had the lowest consumption index value (1.67), while the control group had the highest (2.60). Compared to the control group, which received only a basic feed (69.06%), Group S10 had the highest carcass yield (78.16%). The biochemical parameters of all groups were in agreement with reference values and lower than those recorded in the control group. The current findings emphasized the potential of O. ficus-indica as a valuable feed additive to improve broiler growth and carcass quality, without affecting biochemical parameters.
Benlaksira et al. (Mon,) studied this question.