Increasing cost of feed ingredients and use of cereal grains in poultry feed which are also used for the human feeding, makes it imperative to look for alternative sources for feeding poultry to save grains for human consumption and reduce the cost of feed as well. Ingredients which are cheap, not utilized for human feeding and are readily available, merits consideration for poultry feeding. Rice polishing is one of such ingredient.

Rice polishings is an important by-product of rice milling industry. It is a finely powdered material obtained in polishing the rice kernels after removal of hulls and bran. It furnishes almost equivalent energy as other cereal grains and is a good source of protein and water soluble vitamins specially thiamin and niacin. It however contains certain antinutritional factors which, could be eliminated by various treatments yielding it into a useful feed ingredient for poultry feed.

Present experiment was conducted to observe the influence of rice polishings on the performance of broiler chicks after subjecting it to various treatments. Full fat rice polishings was subjected to extrusion cooking and then divided into 4 equal parts. One part was used in ration as such, second treated with 1 percent acetic acid, third treated with 1 percent calcium hydroxide and fourth treated first with acetic aid and then with calcium hydroxide. Five starter and finisher experimental rations designated as A, B, C, D, and E respectively were prepared. Ration A contained no rice polishings and was kept as control. In rations B, C, D and B treated rice polishings at 15 percent level was used substituting wheat. Starter rations were fed for 35 days and Finisher rations for 21 days to 150 Hubbard broiler chicks divided into 15 experimental units of 10 chicks each reared on floor on deep litter system. Each experimental ration was randomly allotted to 3 experimental units of chicks. Results indicated that maximum weight gain was recorded in birds fed on ration C which contained extrusion cooked rice polishings treated with 1 percent acetic acid. Lowest weight gain was recorded in birds fed on ration A (control). Second best result in weight gain was observed in birds fed on ration D which contained extrusion cooked rice polishings treated with 1 percent calcium hydroxide.

Best feed utilization per unit of gain was observed in birds fed on ration C where as poor feed conversion ratio was noted in birds fed on ration E which contained rice polishings first treated with acetic acid and then with calcium hydroxide.

Results indicated that different treatments improved the nutritional quality of rice polishings and resulted into better weight gain. Use of treated rice polishings did not show any detrimental effect on the performance of birds. Difference in feed consumed and conversion ratio towards higher side might have been due to some managemental errors or weather conditions. Extrusion cooked rice polishings treated with 1 percent acetic acid showed significantly improved growth rate and feed utilization in birds per unit of gain as compared to control and other rations containing rice polishings given other treatments.

It was concluded that various treatments improved the nutritional quality of rice polishings and it proved to be a beneficial feed ingredient for poultry feeding substituting wheat without any deleterious effect. Treatment with 1 percent acetic acid or 1 percent calcium hydroxide were equally good and potent methods to overcome the problem of antinutritional factors present in rice polishings.