Wholemeal pumpkin flour as pigmenting agent in chickens

The main objective is to evaluate the inclusion of whole pumpkin flour (Cucurbita moschata) as a natural pigmentant in three stages of broiler chickens (coob500) to achieve a better pigmentation coloration in the tarsus at 42 days, during the pre-start, start and finish phases. The study consisted of 96 chickens of the Coob 500 line, using a completely randomized experimental design, which were distributed in four treatments and four replicates with 6 chickens each, called T0 (control), T1, T2 and T3; 15% of whole pumpkin flour was administered from days 21, 28 and 35 respectively, ending on day 42; On the other hand, variables such as feed consumption, weight gain, feed conversion, mortality and pigmentation were evaluated; the results of the variance analysis presented significant differences (p<0.05) in each one of the treatments; at the end, an average weight between 5.62 kg to 15.11 kg per treatment was reached; it is concluded that the best result is with the T3 treatment, verified by means of colorimetric tape.