Effect of Dietary Citric Acid Powder on Growth Performance and Carcass Characteristics of Broiler Chickens
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.66546/aijs.v2i3.86Keywords:
Broiler chickens, Citric acid, Growth performance, Carcass characteristics, Feed conversion ratioAbstract
This study evaluated the effects of dietary citric acid powder supplementation on the growth performance and carcass characteristics of broiler chickens under the environmental conditions of Kabul, Afghanistan. A total of 48 one-day-old broiler chicks were randomly assigned to four dietary treatments using a Completely Randomized Design (CRD). The treatments included a control group without citric acid and three experimental groups supplemented with 0.25%, 0.50%, and 0.75% of citric acid powder administered through drinking water. Each treatment had three replicates with four chicks per replicate, and the experiment lasted 35 days. We measured growth performance parameters, including body weight, body weight gain, average daily gain (ADG), feed intake, feed conversion ratio (FCR), and feed conversion efficiency, weekly. We also evaluated carcass traits, including carcass, breast, thigh, liver, heart, and gizzard weights, at the end of the experiment. Data were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the Least Significant Difference (LSD) test. The results showed that dietary citric acid supplementation significantly improved growth performance compared with the control group. Broiler chickens receiving 0.75% citric acid showed the highest final body weight (2591.93 g), total body weight gain (2461.10 g), and average daily gain (70.32 g/day) (P < 0.01). Feed conversion ratio was also improved, with the lowest FCR (1.33) observed in the 0.75% citric acid group. Furthermore, citric acid supplementation significantly (P < 0.05) increased carcass yield and organ weights. In conclusion, 0.75% citric acid supplementation improved growth performance, feed efficiency, and carcass characteristics in broiler chickens.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Abdul Khaliq Sahes, Abdul Ghafoor Muradi, Abdul Jamil Ghanizada, Noor Ahmad Nsatoh, Faizurahman Rahmani (Author)
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