Peningkatan efisiensi produksi ayam broiler menuntut penerapan strategi nutrisi yang mampu menekan biaya tanpa mengorbankan performa pertumbuhan maupun aspek animal welfare. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengevaluasi pengaruh pemberian pakan rendah protein dengan penambahan herbal mix additive terhadap kinerja pertumbuhan dan animal welfare ayam broiler. Penambahan herbal mix additive merupakan langkah startegi untuk menanggulangi ketidakseimbangan nutrien akibat pakan rendah protein dalam ransum. Sebanyak 1000 ekor DOC strain Cobb 500 dipelihara selama 35 hari. Pemeliharaan dilakukan berjumlah 100 ekor ayam yang disusun dalam lima ulangan. Perlakuan yang diterapkan yaitu pakan kontrol (komersial) dan RP+HMA (pakan rendah protein + herbal mix additive). Perlakuan RP+HMA diberikan mulai hari ke-13 hingga ke-35. Data kinerja pertumbuhan dianalisis dengan metode independent sample T-Test menggunakan SPSS, sedangkan data animal welfare menggunakan analisis deskriptif. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa perlakuan (RP+HMA) mengalami peningkatan nilai feed intake yang signifikan dibandingkan dengan kontrol pada fase grower sebesar 9,75% (P<0>feed conversion ratio yang lebih tinggi sebesar 25,21% pada fase finisher dan 13,65% pada hasil kumulatif dibandingkan kontrol (P<0>foot pad dermatitis, hock burn, dan breast dermatitis dibandingkan kontrol. Berdasarkan penelitian, dapat disimpulkan bahwa perlakuan RP+HMA dapat menurunkan kinerja pertumbuhan terhadap feed intake fase grower sekaligus meningkatkan nilai feed conversion ratio fase finisher dan kumulatif, serta nilai indeks performa. Sementara itu, perlakuan RP+HMA belum dapat mempertahankan nilai animal welfare yang setara dengan perlakuan kontrol.
Improving broiler chicken production efficiency requires the implementation of nutritional strategies that can reduce costs without compromising growth performance or animal welfare. This study aims to evaluate the effect of feeding a low-protein diet supplemented with a herbal mix additive on the growth performance and animal welfare of broiler chickens. The addition of a herbal mix additive is a strategic measure to address nutrient imbalances caused by the low-protein diet. A total of 1,000 Cob 500-strain day-old chicks (DOC) were reared for 35 days. The rearing was conducted with 100 chicks per group, arranged into five replicates. The treatments applied were control feed (commercial) and RP+HMA (low-protein feed + herbal mix additive). The RP+HMA treatment was administered from day 13 to day 35. Growth performance data were analyzed using the independent samples t-test with SPSS, while animal welfare data was assessed using descriptive analysis. The results showed that the RP+HMA treatment exhibited a significant increase in feed intake compared to the control during the grower phase, amounting to 9.75% (P<0>
Kata Kunci : Ayam Broiler, Animal Welfare, Pakan Rendah Protein, Herbal Mix Additive
