Effect of Capsicum Annum L. Powder on Growth Performance of Chicken Broilers

Recently, there has been a growing interest in employing different growth promoters to improve the production of poultry meat. Antibiotics are one of the most popular growth promoters. Due to the adverse health implications of using antibiotics, there is increasing interest to find safe and natural alternatives to antibiotics. Therefore, this study aims to assess the effect of chili pepper powder on the growth of chicken broilers. In an open-sided broiler house, a total of 360 one-day-old Ross (600) chicks were randomly assigned to twelve floor pens of comparable size. Chili red pepper powder was added to the feed at 0.0% (control) (T1), 0.5% (T2), 1.0 %(T3), and 1.5 %(T4). The four treatments were assigned to pens completely at random (Completely Randomized Design). Chili red pepper reduced the body weight of broilers compared to the control treatment. Moreover, there was a negative correlation between the intake of hot red pepper and body weight. Feed intake also decreased by inclusion of red pepper. Treatment T4 exhibited a significantly greater feed conversion ratio (FCR) than the control (T1). In comparison to the control treatment, the plucked weights of all treatments (T2, T3, and T4) fed chile red pepper were considerably lower (1595, 1587, and 1577 vs. 1625, p <0.05). At slaughtering age (six weeks), the impact of chili pepper inclusion level on FCR was more noticeable than it was at other ages. Carcass weight and dressing percentage were significantly higher in the control group than in all other treatments. In conclusion, the inclusion of red chili pepper in broiler feed did not show a positive effect on growth performance. It seems that the addition of chili red pepper in the feed lowered the appetite of broiler chicks, which resulted in decreased feed intake.