EFFECT OF COPPER SULPHATE LEVEL IN THE DIET ON BROILER PERFORMANCE AND CARCASS QUALITY

The present experiment was carried out on 480 c0mmercial broiler
chicks to determine the effect of adding copper sulphate on growth
performance (body weight, food conversion, mortality) and on carcass
quality (cholesterol and copper level in breast muscles but only
copper concentration in liver).
Four groups of birds, each of 120 chicks were used. Experimental
diets were formulated from vegetable feeding stuffs, corn, and
soybean meal and feed additives to cover the requirements in two
phases of feeding program (First, from 1 to 21 days & second from 22
to 42 days) at the period of the experiment. The first group was fed on
basal diet without any copper sulfate supplement. The second, third
and fourth groups were fed on the basal diet supplemented with 150,
250, and 350 mg Cu SO4/ Kg feed respectively.
The results demonstrated that supplementation of feed with copper
sulphate, 250 or 350 mg\kg feed had significant positive effects on
growth until the fourth week as compared to control group, but the
second group fed 150 mg\kg copper sulphat had no significant
difference during the experiment periods.
On the other hand there were no significant difference in feed
conversion ratio, mortality rate and copper level in the liver and
breast muscle between the control group and the groups fed on
different levels copper sulphate supplemented diets but cholesterol
level in breast muscles was decreased with increasing copper sulphate
level in the diet to 350 mg/kg.
It was concluded that the addition of copper sulphate in high
concentration (up to 350 mg\ kg) was safe and has a positive effect on
growth and reduced cholesterol level in the breast meat.