Table 3.
Effect of licorice supplementation in drinking water on body weight, weight gain, feed intake, and feed conversion ratio of broiler chicken.
| Variable | Treatment Groups | p-Value | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group 1 (Control) |
Group 2 (Licorice 0.4 gm/L) |
Group 3 (Licorice 0.8 gm/L) |
||
| Initial weight, week 1 | 180.95 ± 2.11 | 181.60 ± 1.06 | 181.87 ± 1.42 | NS |
| Week 2 | 439.62 ± 5.29 b | 478.07 ± 4.18 a | 465.47 ± 6.14 a | <0.0001 |
| Week 3 | 872.93 ± 9.02 b | 963.36 ± 7.66 a | 944.40 ± 14.69 a | <0.0001 |
| Week 4 | 1533.31 ± 16.67 b | 1624.29 ± 13.98 a | 1546.20 ± 25.35 b | 0.0019 |
| Week 5 | 2078.57 ± 22.49 c | 2360.57 ± 29.57 a | 2230.13 ± 27.13 b | <0.0001 |
| Final Weight, Week 6 | 2573.43 ± 23.29 b | 2879.93 ± 36.06 a | 2652.40 ± 35.29 b | <0.0001 |
| Gain1, W1–W2 | 258.67 ± 3.39 c | 296.13 ± 3.40 a | 283.60 ± 5.49 b | <0.0001 |
| Gain2, W2–W3 | 433.31 ± 3.94 b | 485.29 ± 4.77 a | 478.93 ± 9.01 a | <0.0001 |
| Gain3, W3–W4 | 660.38 ± 8.47 a | 660.93 ± 6.67 a | 601.80 ± 12.05 b | <0.0001 |
| Gain4, W4–W5 | 545.26 ± 8.15 c | 736.29 ± 17.29 a | 683.93 ± 5.51 b | <0.0001 |
| Gain5, W5–W6 | 494.86 ± 17.80 a | 519.36 ± 8.74 a | 422.27 ± 10.08 b | <0.0001 |
| TGain, W1–W6 | 2392.48 ± 22.32 b | 2697.99 ± 35.13 a | 2470.53 ± 34.40 b | <0.0001 |
| FI1 | 428.6 ± 0.00 b | 424.20 ± 0.00 c | 436.70 ± 0.00 a | <0.0001 |
| FI2 | 626.37 ± 0.00 c | 703.20 ± 0.00 a | 696.80 ± 0.00 b | <0.0001 |
| FI3 | 969.06 ± 0.00 b | 1018.50 ± 0.00 a | 969.06 ± 0.00 b | <0.0001 |
| FI4 | 1148.00 ± 0.00 c | 1329.00 ± 0.00 a | 1290.00 ± 0.00 b | <0.0001 |
| FI5 | 1245.10 ± 0.00 b | 1219.20 ± 0.00 c | 1307.70 ± 0.00 a | <0.0001 |
| TFI | 4417.13 ± 0.00 b | 4694.10 ± 0.00 a | 4700.26 ± 0.00 a | <0.0001 |
| FCR1 | 1.66 ± 0.02 a | 1.44 ± 0.02 c | 1.57 ± 0.03 b | <0.0001 |
| FCR2 | 1.45 ± 0.01 | 1.46 ± 0.02 | 1.48 ± 0.02 | NS |
| FCR3 | 1.48 ± 0.02 c | 1.55 ± 0.02 b | 1.65 ± 0.03 a | <0.0001 |
| FCR4 | 2.13 ± 0.03 a | 1.88 ± 0.05 b | 1.89 ± 0.02 b | <0.0001 |
| FCR5 | 2.50 ± 0.06 b | 2.40 ± 0.05 b | 3.19 ± 0.07 a | <0.0001 |
| FCR | 1.84 ± 0.02 b | 1.74 ± 0.02 c | 1.90 ± 0.03 a | <0.0001 |
The data presented in the table are mean ± SEM. Those within a row superscripted by different letters are significantly different (p < 0.05). NS: non-significant. TGain: Total gain; FCR: Feed conversion ratio. FI1: Feed intake for the first week; TFI: total feed intake.