The use of extruded chickpeas in diets of broiler turkeys

In an experiment with 200 one-day-old broiler turkeys, the effect of partial and total replacement of soybean meal with chickpeas (Cicer arietinum L.) on productivity and meat composition was determined. In the 12-week experiment, turkeys were allocated to five dietary treatments: ECKP0, ECKP200, ECKP400, ECKP600 and ECKP800 of 40 birds each, and received a diet ad libitum. The diet for ECKP0 treatment contained no chickpeas (control), while those for treatments ECKP200, ECKP400 ECKP600 and ECKP800 included 200, 400, 600 and 800 kg/t of wet extruded (at 120°C for 20 s) chickpeas, respectively. Replacement of soybean meal with extruded chickpeas, at inclusion levels up to 200 kg/t of diet, resulted in similar productive performance. At the end of the experiment, the body weight (BW) and the feed conversion ratio for ECKP0 treatment were 7 782 g and 2.46 g of daily feed consumption per g of BW gain, respectively. However, the replacement of soybean meal with extruded chickpeas at higher inclusion levels (400, 600 and 800 kg/t of diet) decreased body weight by 7.7% (P < 0.05) and increased feed conversion ratio by 14.9% (P < 0.05) compared to the control. Moreover, carcass yield traits were not affected (P > 0.05) by feeding diets with increasing levels of extruded chickpeas. Thus, extruded chickpeas can be used as an alternative protein source to replace soybean meal in broiler turkey diets, at inclusion levels up to 200 kg/t.