Nutritional Evaluation of Canola Protein Concentrate for Broiler Chickens

This trial was conducted to determine the effects of including canola protein concentrate in diets fed to broiler chickens on nutrient digestibility and broiler performance (0-21 days). A total of 180, day-old, male broiler chicks weighing an average of 52.8 +/- 0.6 g were assigned to one of six dietary treatments in a completely randomized design. The control diet was based on corn and soybean meal and contained 15% canola meal. The experimental diets contained 3, 6, 9, 12 or 15% canola protein concentrate added at the expense of canola meal. There were five birds per pen and six replicate pens per treatment. Feed and water were available ad libitum throughout the 21-day experiment. Chromic oxide (0.35%) was added to all diets as a digestibility marker and was fed throughout the experimental period. The digestibility of dry matter, energy and phosphorus increased linearly (p < 0.01) with increasing levels of canola protein concentrate. Although nutrient digestibility was higher for birds fed diets containing canola protein concentrate, these improvements did not translate into improvements in broiler performance. Weight gain was unaffected (p = 0.24) by level of canola protein concentrate. Feed intake was significantly increased (p<0.01) with the result that feed conversion tended to be poorer (p = 0.07) for birds fed diets containing canola protein concentrate. Mortality was also unaffected (p = 0.56) by dietary treatment.