Evaluation of bee pollen as a feed additive on nutrient digestibility of broiler finisher ration

The present study was conducted to assess the effect of supplementation of bee pollen (BP) in broiler chicken on nutrient utilisation. A feeding trial was conducted on one hundred and twenty-eight, day-old Vencobb 430Y broiler chicken at Instructional Livestock Farm Complex (ILFC), Pookode for a period of 42 days. Bee pollen was purchased from Khadi Village Industries Corporation. Broiler chicks were grouped into four treatments, each with four replicates having eight birds. The birds were fed with iso-caloric and iso-protein diets observing BIS 2007 specification. The T1 group was fed with basal diet and T2, T3, T4 groups were fed with 0.25, 0.5 and 0.75 per cent BP incorporated basal diet respectively. One bird from each replicate was caged in a metabolism cage, to study nutrient utilisation and apparent digestibility coefficients. Results showed that the digestibility of dry matter, crude protein and organic matter significantly increased in BP-supplemented groups compared to the control group. Hence it can be inferred that supplementation of BP at 0.25, 0.5 and 0.75 per cent levels can be recommended for improved nutrient digestibility in broilers. Keywords: Bee pollen, poultry, digestibility, feed additive