Impact of Low-Quality Rice on Broiler Chicken Performance and Gene Expression

Rice is a promising grain that is reasonably priced and may be effectively added to chicken rations. It is more readily available than corn and has comparable protein and metabolizable energy levels. The current study aimed to see the effect of partially replacing corn with low quality rice and see its effect on broiler chickens. by measuring their live weights, feed intake, weight gain, and feed conversion ratio. A total of one hundred sixty (160) one-day-old unsexed chicks of the Rose 308 breed were purchased from a local hatchery. The birds were fed on basal diet for two weeks (14 days). On the fifteenth of the experiment, the birds were randomly divided into 4 groups each group contain forty (40) birds and each group was subdivided into two -replicates, each replicate contain 20 birds, in a sector design. The control group (T0) was fed on the basal diet, while the birds in group T1, T2, and T3 were fed rations with 10 percent, 20 percent, and 30 percent rice, respectively, replacing corn in the diet. The study showed that there is a significant increase in live body weight and weight gain in the control group and the 10 percent rice group when compared to the rest of the groups and there is a significant increase in the amount of food intake and the amount of food conversion ratio in the 20 % and 30 % rice groups when compared to the control group and the 10 % groups. Standards of broiler chickens also increase in the IGF-1 in the 20 % and 30 % rice group with convergence in sensory test results. The study concluded that increasing the rice percentage to more than 10 percent leads to a negative impact on the production.