Feeding Maize Plus Booster Ration Vis-A-Vis Readymade Feed in Broiler Chicken

Maize is one of the major ingredients of poultry feed and being a major Kharif crop in H.P., it is readily available in the area. But majority of the broiler poultry farmers in the region are using readymade feed. In the present study, the cost of feeding broilers was studied where in one group was fed weighed quantity of starter and finisher ration from 8-21 and 22-40 days of age respectively while the second group was fed grounded local maize plus booster ration in the ratio of 50:50 from 8-21 days and 60:40 from 22-40 days of age. Results revealed that the feed conversion ratio and weight gain was comparable among two groups but the cost offeeding per broiler was Rs 113.27 in readymade feed fed group while it was only Rs 99.75 in maize plus booster ration fed group. Thus, it may be concluded that feeding of maize plus booster ration to broiler chicks effectively reduced the cost of feeding per broiler and increase return per bird without any untoward impact on broiler performance.