Table 2.
Effects of dietary Spirulina platensis phycocyanin on the growth performance of broiler chicken.
| Trait Studied | SPC0 | SPC0.25 | SPC0.5 | SPC0.75 | SPC1 | Regression # | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linear | Quadratic | ||||||
| Initial BW (g) | 88.96 ± 0.95 | 89.17 ± 1.30 | 90.00 ± 0.63 | 89.59 ± 0.96 | 89.59 ± 0.36 | 0.333 | 0.41 |
| Starter Period (4–10 Days) | |||||||
| BW (g) | 320.60 ± 4.93 bc | 315.61 ± 7.64 c | 333.25 ± 8.39 ab | 331.23 ± 9.78 ab | 337.81 ± 7.59 a | <0.01 | 0.84 |
| BWG (g) | 231.64 ± 5.78 bc | 226.44 ± 6.41 c | 243.26 ± 8.94 ab | 241.65 ± 9.01 ab | 248.23 ± 7.66 a | <0.01 | 0.76 |
| FI (g) | 240.84 ± 6.26 | 236.88 ± 16.16 | 241.25 ± 9.44 | 247.29 ± 12.35 | 238.13 ± 15.27 | 0.83 | 0.75 |
| FCR | 1.04 ± 0.01 | 1.05 ± 0.07 | 0.99 ± 0.02 | 1.02 ± 0.06 | 0.96 ± 0.07 | 0.09 | 0.62 |
| Grower Period (11–23 Days) | |||||||
| BW (g) | 1140.97 ± 0.87 bc | 1100.90 ± 15.89 c | 1211.72 ± 25.68 ab | 1243.33 ± 67.66 a | 1205.17 ± 47.86 ab | <0.01 | 0.40 |
| BWG (g) | 820.37 ± 5.46 bc | 785.30 ± 23.30 c | 878.47 ± 28.36 ab | 912.10 ± 60.87 a | 867.36 ± 40.88 ab | 0.01 | 0.34 |
| FI (g) | 1070.09 ± 16.56 ab | 1170.36 ± 52.13 a | 1042.92 ± 26.25 b | 1091.25 ± 63.36 ab | 1077.08 ± 75.44 ab | 0.51 | 0.65 |
| FCR | 1.30 ± 0.02 b | 1.49 ± 0.05 a | 1.19 ± 0.07 c | 1.20 ± 0.06 c | 1.24 ± 0.05 bc | <0.01 | 0.86 |
| Finisher Period (24–35 Days) | |||||||
| BW (g) | 2126.22 ± 32.50 b | 2363.89 ± 38.08 a | 2487.50 ± 78.70 a | 2499.17 ± 80.55 a | 2455.83 ± 82.17 a | <0.01 | <0.01 |
| BWG (g) | 985.25 ± 31.82 b | 1262.99 ± 127.54 a | 1275.78 ± 53.23 a | 1255.83 ± 80.86 a | 1250.67 ± 54.17 a | <0.01 | <0.01 |
| FI (g) | 1709.82 ± 105.53 | 1710.12 ± 127.23 | 1736.51 ± 233.40 | 1752.08 ± 165.63 | 1748.61 ± 185.14 | 0.71 | 0.96 |
| FCR | 1.73 ± 0.08 | 1.37 ± 0.23 | 1.36 ± 0.13 | 1.40 ± 0.21 | 1.40 ± 0.14 | 0.06 | 0.05 |
| Overall Performance (1–35 Days) | |||||||
| Final BW, g | 2126.22 ± 32.50 b | 2363.89 ± 138.08 a | 2487.50 ± 78.70 a | 2499.17 ± 80.55 a | 2455.83 ± 82.17 a | <0.01 | 0.01 |
| Total BWG, g | 2037.27 ± 32.11 b | 2274.72 ± 138.99 a | 2397.50 ± 78.26 a | 2409.58 ± 80.04 a | 2366.25 ± 81.89 a | <0.01 | 0.01 |
| Total FI, g | 3020.75 ± 85.47 | 3117.35 ± 142.64 | 3020.68 ± 216.28 | 3090.63 ± 238.36 | 3063.82 ± 257.01 | 0.87 | 0.86 |
| FCR | 1.48 ± 0.03 a | 1.38 ± 0.14 ab | 1.26 ± 0.05 b | 1.28 ± 0.11 b | 1.30 ± 0.08 b | 0.02 | 0.09 |
# The regressions were considered significant at p ≤ 0.05. a,b,c Means within the same row carrying different superscripts were significantly different at p ≤ 0.05. SPC0: control diet (basal diet with no additives); SPC0.25: basal diets supplemented with 0.25 g SPC kg–1 diet; SPC0.5: basal diets supplemented with 0.5 g SPC kg–1 diet; SPC0.75: basal diets supplemented with 0.75 g SPC kg–1 diet; SPC1: basal diets supplemented with 1 g SPC kg–1 diet. BW: body weight, BWG: body weight gain, FI: feed intake, and FCR: feed conversion ratio.