Angeli Joy J. Brizo, Ivory V. Fulgencio, Roxanne B. Raba (February 2000)
Philippine Science High School Western Visayas Campus – Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PSHS WVC), Brgy. Bito-on, Jaro, Iloilo City 5000, Philippines
ABSTRACT
This study was conducted to determine the effect of varying levels of oyster shell grits and particle sizes on the growth and breaking strength of tarsometatarsal bone of broilers. The first part of this study was the feeding of broilers with different treatment rations for 45 days. The different rations were as follows: oyster shell that could pass through sieve S1 and S2 mixed at 10%-20% with commercial feeds starting with booster mash for the first 15 days, then with starter mash through the next 15 days and finally the finisher mash for the last 15 days. The second part of the experiment determined the weight, length, and diameter of tarsometatarsal bone of broilers. The t-test, One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), and Scheffe test were used as statistical tools in testing the hypothesis of the study. All inferential statistical tools were set at .05 alpha level of significance.
Results showed that the particle sizes did not significantly affect the weight, length, diameter, and breaking strength of tarsometatarsal bone of broilers. The varying oyster shell levels, however, significantly affected the weight, length, diameter, and breaking strength of the tarsometatarsal bone of broilers.
Birds fed with 10% oyster shell level were observed to have better results compared with birds in fed wit the 20% oyster shell level and birds at the control in terms of the fresh and dry weight, fresh and dry length, and fresh diameter of their tarsometatarsal bones. There were no significant differences, though, in the dry diameter and breaking strength of tarsometatarsal bones among the oyster shell levels.