Effects of Dietary Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.) Seed Powder Supplementation on Growth Performance and Feed Efficiency of Broilers during a 42-Day Feeding Trial
Abstract
Background: Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) seeds contain bioactive phytochemicals and have potential as a phytogenic feed additive for enhancing nutrient utilization and productive performance in poultry. Aim: The present study was conducted to evaluate the response of broilers to graded dietary supplementation of fenugreek seed powder (FSP) with particular reference to growth performance and feed efficiency. Methods: A total of 200-day-old Vencobb-300 broiler chicks were randomly allocated to five dietary treatments, with 40 chicks per treatment and four replicates of 10 chicks each. The dietary treatments comprised a basal diet without FSP (T0) and basal diets supplemented with FSP at 1.5% (T1), 2.0% (T2), 2.5% (T3) and 3.0% (T4). The experiment was conducted for 42 days under uniform management and environmental conditions. Body weight, body weight gain, feed intake and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were recorded at weekly intervals. Treatment means were statistically analysed to determine the effect of dietary FSP supplementation on growth and feed utilization. Results: Dietary supplementation of FSP significantly affected body weight, body weight gain and FCR, whereas cumulative feed intake remained statistically comparable among treatments. The birds receiving 2.0% FSP (T2) attained the highest final body weight (2408.80 g/bird) and cumulative body weight gain (2363.80 g/bird), and these values were significantly higher than those recorded in the other dietary treatments. The lowest overall FCR (1.85) was observed in T2, indicating superior feed conversion efficiency. Increasing FSP supplementation beyond 2.0% did not confer additional improvement in growth or feed efficiency. Conclusion: Under the conditions of the present study, dietary inclusion of FSP at 2.0% was identified as the optimum level for improving growth performance and feed utilization efficiency in broilers.