Researches concerning the usage of whole sunflower seeds in poultry feeding

During last years, an especially attention was focused on the usage of certain unprocessed "raw matters" in poultry feeding, in order to cu processing costs. The classical technology supposes the adding of fats, in order to balance the energetic level of the mixed fodders, involving thus major expenses to extract the fats from seeds and to incorporate them in feed. These inconvenient could be avoided by the usage of the whole raw matters, which give more advantages than the by-products obtained after the fats extraction. Consequently, an experiment has been set up, using 4 groups of chickens, fed with various proportions of whole decorticated sunflower seeds into the feed. The results have been compared with those registered by a control group, fed with classical mixed fodder. The usage of decorticated sunflower seed in chickens feeding generated higher body weights values (+3.37_+4.74%), compared to the control group. The groups which received also undecorticated sunflower seeds achieved average live weight closely to the control group (0.66% lower and 0.05% higher, as well). The average daily weight gain evolved in accordance with the fowl growing speed. The average feed intake/chicken was 1.15 _ 7.69% higher in the experimental groups than that measured in the control group. Feed conversion ratio has been influenced by the crude fiber content in feed. Feed conversion varied with +1.80%...- 1.33% in the groups fed with decorticated seeds, compared with the control. Flock losses reached 3.6%, value considered as normal. Better economic results (+6.79%...+7.59%) have been achieved by the groups fed exclusively with sunflower seeds. Considering the achieved results, it could be recommended to use the whole decorticated sunflower seeds in chickens feeding, as a valuable and natural energy source, in proportions varying between 5 to 21% in the feed structure.