Volume 11, Issue 24, July - December 2025

Influence of Graded Levels of Vegetable Oil on the Performance, Health Status, and Body Linear Measurement of Arbor Acre Plus Broilers

Olawale Mojeed Akanbi^1♦, Adeola Endurance Talabi¹, Hiqmat Busayo Lawal¹, Olanrewaju Ahmed Binuyo², Olufemi Godday Allen¹, Oluwasegun Emmanuel Ibidiran³, Isaiah Akinwumi Ajewole⁴

¹Department of Animal Science, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria
²Department of Animal Nutrition, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Nigeria
³Bamidele Olumilua University of Education, Science and Technology, Ikere-Ekiti, Nigeria
⁴Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Nigeria

^♦Corresponding author
Olawale Mojeed Akanbi, Department of Animal Science, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria

ABSTRACT

The study evaluated the influence of dietary levels of vegetable oil on the performance, health status, and body linear measurements of Arbor Acre Plus broilers. Three dietary treatments containing 0%, 1% and 2% vegetable oil inclusion was designated as D1, D2 and D3, respectively in the basal diet. The experiment was then mapped out using completely randomised design (CRD) with 4 replications of 10 birds per replicate. Results showed that the total weight, the weight gain and the total feed intake in diets 3 and 2 (2197.48g/bird and 2149.29g/bird, 2155.71g/bird and 2108.00g/bird and 3041.98g/bird and 3141.98g/bird respectively) showed no significant (P>0.05) differences but were significantly (P<0.05) different from diet one (1) which recorded values of 2015.87g/bird, 1973.43g/bird and 3349.62g/bird. Live weights recorded no significant (P>0.05) differences between D3 (2.13kg) and 2 (2.09kg), but were both statistically higher than D1 (2kg). The head in D3 (27.87g/kg BW) was significantly (P<0.05) influenced when compared to the value in D2 (24.39g/kg BW), with the lowest value being recorded in D1 (23.97g/kg BW). Also, white blood cell, red blood cell and creatinine recorded in D3 showed significant (P<0.05) higher value in comparison to other dietary treatments with values of 5.80 x109/l, 1.88 x 106/l and 25.47Mmol/L, respectively. In terms of body linear measurements, body weight, thigh length, body length, and height at withers were significantly (P<0.05) different with D3 recording (P<0.05) higher values of 2.20kg, 15.82cm, 25.00cm and 27.39cm, respectively, compared to the other dietary treatments. The average price realised, average price gain and net profit per bird were recorded in D3, with values of N3672, N1614, and N40.36, respectively, which were economically higher when compared to the other diets evaluated in the study. D3 (9.20%) showed a significant (P>0.05) better % cost reduction compared to other dietary treatments. It was therefore concluded that the inclusion of vegetable oil at 2% in D3 significantly influenced the performance, health, and body linear measurements of the broiler chickens without any detrimental effect.

Keywords: health, body linear measurement, broilers, vegetable oil, performance

Discovery Agriculture, 2025, 11, e14da3149

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Published: 03 September 2025