Abstract

Tannin from chestnuts has garnered interest in poultry nutrition due to its potential impact on meat quality. The current study investigated the effects of Chestnut tannins (CT) which were derived from natural chestnut wood, on poultry health and meat characteristics. The primary objective was to determine the effects of CT supplementation in commercial feed on performance, carcass, and meat cholesterol in Ulu chickens. A total of 48 one-day-old Ulu chickens were divided randomly based on a completely randomized design into four treatment groups, with four replications each, and raised until 63 days of age. The treatments consisted of varying doses of CT (0.1, 0.2, and 0.3) supplemented with a commercial diet. The parameters measured were performance, carcass traits, and meat cholesterol. The results showed that the supplementation of different levels of CT did not significantly alter performance, carcass traits, and meat cholesterol in ulu chickens. However, correlation and trend analysis indicated that the 0.3 CT treatment yielded the best growth performance, with a body weight gain of 934.85 g and a feed conversion ratio of 2.53, respectively. Conversely, the best treatment for reducing meat cholesterol was 0.2 of CT. It can be concluded that while CT supplementation did not influence the performance and carcass characteristics, it was effective in reducing meat cholesterol levels in Ulu chickens. © The Author(s) 2025