Evaluation of keratinase stability in pelleted broiler diets

Versazyme (VZ) is an approved keratinase-based feed additive produced naturally as a fermentation product of Bacillus licheniformis PWD-1. The experiment was designed to test the recovery and efficacy of VZ using typical feed industry pelleting parameters. The pelleted diets were conditioned to 85°C for 30 s and pelleted using a 4 × 32 mm die, cooled, and crumbled. A total of 192 male broiler chicks were fed a corn-soybean meal starter diet formulated at 18.5% CP to 21 d of age. The 4 treatments used in the feeding study were as follows: VZ 0.0%-mash, VZ 0.0%-pellet, VZ 0.1%-mash, and VZ 0.1%-pellet. Body weight and feed consumption were determined at 21 d of age. The recovery of VZ in feed was 93% in the mash diet and 66% in the pelleted diet. There was a 55-g increase in BW gain and 0.17 improvement of FCR when birds were supplemented with 0.1% VZ. Pelleting improved BW gain (P < 0.05) but did not significantly improve the FCR. Growth performance results indicate that pelleting did not affect the efficacy of VZ.     

Nutrient digestibility and intestinal viscosities in broiler chickens fed on wheat diets, as compared to maize diets with added guar gum

1. Three maize diets containing 0, 1 or 3 g of guar gum per kg and 2 wheat diets were given to male broiler chickens for measurements of growth performance and nutrient digestibility. 2. The intestinal viscosities found with wheat diets were within the range of those observed with the 3 maize diets. The correlations between in vivo and in vitro viscosities were higher with real than with potential applied viscosity. 3. The gain:food ratio decreased (P < 0.05) with the addition of 3 g guar gum/kg. The mean gain:food ratio observed for wheat diets was lower (P = 0.007) than the mean value found for the 3 maize diets. 4. The negative effects of increased intestinal viscosity due to guar gum addition on nutrient digestibility were highest for lipids and lowest for starch. 5. Wheat diets resulted in much lower (P < 0.001) starch apparent digestibility compared to maize diets with added guar gum despite similar mean intestinal viscosities in the 2 groups of diets. Apparent lipid digestibility with wheat diets was lower (P < 0.01) than the value predicted from intestinal viscosity, the predictive model having been calculated with the guar gum added maize diets. Apparent protein digestibility did not differ between wheat diets and guar gum added maize diets. 6. It was concluded that the low apparent digestibilities of starch and lipid observed with wheats could not be attributed only to intestinal viscosity and that other factors appear to be implicated in the low digestibilities observed with the wheat samples tested in the present experiment.     

Causes for improvement in nutritive value of broiler chicken diets with whole wheat instead of ground wheat

1. Two experiments were conducted with broiler chicks to compare nutritive values of ground and whole wheat diets containing titanium oxide as indigestible marker. 2. In Experiment 1, a wheat and soy isolate based cold-pelleted diet, in which all the wheat was ground in a hammer mill to pass through a 3 mm sieve, was compared with a diet in which about half (375 g/kg) of the ground wheat was taken out of the diet and supplied as whole wheat mixed into the diet after pelleting. 3. In Experiment 2, a diet based on ground wheat and soy isolate which was pelleted after preconditioning (final temperature 81 degrees C) was compared with a diet in which 500 g of the ground wheat was replaced by whole wheat mixed into the diet before pelleting. 4. In Experiment 1, replacement of ground wheat with whole wheat increased apparent metabolisable energy (AME) content and starch digestibility measured at ileal as well as faecal level, while weight gain and feed conversion efficiency (FCE) were not affected. Jejunal chyme showed increased amylase activity and bile salt concentration. 5. In Experiment 2, replacement of ground wheat with whole wheat increased dry matter content as well as bile content of gizzard, and stimulated an increase in gizzard as well as pancreas weight. Jejunal amylase and bile concentrations were not significantly affected and neither were growth, FCE or AME. 6. Results from this experiment indicate that the improved feed value sometimes observed with whole wheat may be associated with modulation of digestive processes resulting in increased pancreas and liver secretions.     

Differences in the digestive tract characteristics of broiler chickens fed on complete pelleted diet or on whole wheat added to pelleted protein concentrate

1. The effects of whole grains of wheat on the digestive tract of broiler chickens was studied. A complete pelleted feed was compared with free choice feeding of whole wheat and a pelleted protein concentrate, given from 7 to 29 d of age. 2. Pepsin activity in proventriculus tissue was lower in whole wheat-fed birds than in complete diet-fed birds. The weight (g/kg body weight) of the gizzard was higher in whole wheat-fed birds and its contents had a lower pH. 3. In the intestine, there were no differences in deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) concentration, protein/DNA, ribonucleic acid (RNA)/DNA, RNA/protein ratios or alkaline phosphatase activity expressed per tissue weight. The weight (g/kg body weight) of the duodenum was lower in whole wheat-fed birds and its contents had a higher pH. Also the activities of alkaline phosphatase and leucine aminopeptidase in the duodenum, and maltase in the ileum, expressed per unit of bird weight, were lower in whole wheat-fed birds. 4. These results suggest that whole grain feeding increases the chemical (pepsin in proventriculus) and physical (gizzard muscle) functionality of the upper part of the digestive tract but decreases the digestive capacity of the intestine. Higher gizzard functionality may play a positive role in the control of bacterial populations. The lower digestive enzyme activities in the intestine may be detrimental in situations of mucosal deterioration caused by intestinal disease.     

Guar meal in diets for broiler chickens

1. In two experiments each involving 2 000 Ross 1 broiler chickens in floor pens from 0 to 56 d of age, the effects of including guar meal at 50, 100 or 150 g/kg of the diet were investigated.

2. During the 0 to 28‐d period diets containing 50 or 100 g guar meal/kg supported only 85 and 69%, respectively, of the growth supported by the control diet, whereas during 28 to 56 d, birds fed on diets containing 100 or 150 g guar meal/kg gained 90 and 86% of the weight gained by control birds.

3. Neither toasting the meal, steam pelleting diets containing the meal nor supplementing these diets with 5 g methionine/kg had any appreciable effect on performance.

4. Addition of either of two enzyme preparations, MKC hemicellulase or betaganase M, improved growth; birds receiving 100 or 150 g guar meal/kg gaining 96 and 89%, respectively, of the weight gained by control birds from 28 to 56 d of age.     

百御素替代抗生素在肉鸡日粮中的应用

在饲料中分别添加百御素100mg/kg、金霉素500mg/kg进行肉鸡饲养试验。48d后,百御素组成活率略高于金霉素组,比金霉素组提高了0.54%;平均日增重方面,百御素组比金霉素组提高了8.21%,差异显著（P〈0.05）;平均日采食量方面,百御素组比金霉素组提高了7.30%,差异显著（P〈0.05）;料肉比方面,百御素组略低于对照组,比金霉素组降低了0.54%。试验表明,饲料中添加百御素可完全替代金霉素,并可获得更好的经济效益。     

Effect of feeding whole cereals on performance,starch digestibility and duodenal particle size distribution in broiler chickens

1. An experiment was conducted to study the effects of whole wheat, oats and barley at different inclusion levels on performance, starch digestibility, duodenal particle size distribution, gizzard weight and pH of gizzard contents for broiler chickens. 2. Feed consumption and weight gain were significantly reduced when ground cereals were replaced by whole cereals (P < 0.05). However, feed conversion efficiency was not affected by inclusion of up to 440 g/kg of whole wheat, and up to 300 g/kg of whole oats and barley. 3. Duodenal particle size was measured by laser diffraction to below 1 micron in size. A remarkably large proportion of particles were below 100 microns, with as much as 50% of the particles in the duodenum being below 40 microns in size. Inclusion of moderate amounts of whole cereals reduced the duodenal mean particle size. Large inclusions of whole cereals decreased (P < 0.05) the proportion of particles up to 40 microns in size, and increased (P < 0.05) the proportion with size between 100 and 300 microns. 4. Starch digestibility was improved (P < 0.05) by replacing ground wheat or barley with whole wheat or barley. 5. There was no consistent effect of cereal species or feed form on the pH value of the gizzard contents.     

Ileal starch digestibility in growing broiler chickens fed on a wheat-based diet is improved by mash feeding, dilution with cellulose or whole wheat inclusion.

1. An experiment was conducted to study causes of low ileal starch digestibilities when broiler chickens were fed on wheat-based diets. Each of 5 cold-pelleted diets containing 771 g/kg DM wheat and one cold-pelleted diet containing 694 g/kg DM wheat were fed to 24 male broiler chickens in 8 cages from 10 to 21 d of age. 2. Feed intake and weight gain were significantly reduced when the wheat diet was crushed and fed in a mash form. 3. Ileal starch digestibility increased significantly from 0.79 to 0.95, 0.93 and 0.91, respectively, when the diet was crushed and fed in a mash form, was diluted with cellulose prior to pelleting, or when parts of the wheat were fed as whole grains. Correspondingly, random variation between individual birds was reduced. 4. These results indicate that an overload of wheat starch in the digestive tract may be the cause of poor digestibility for some broilers in a flock. Grinding of the wheat may also influence starch digestibility.     

Grass meal as an ingredient in diets for broiler chickens

1. Six diets of equal energy and nitrogen contents containing between 0 (control) and 125 g grass meal/kg were each fed to 4 groups of 42 male and 4 groups of 42 female broiler chicks, in floor pens, from 0 to 56 d of age.

2. Increments of 25 g grass meal/kg and 7.3 g maize oil/kg replaced a mixture of soyabean, wheat and barley meals in the control diet.

3. Gain: food ratio (y) of the birds decreased linearly as dietary grass meal content (x) increased such that y = 0.4295 ? 0.0032x.

4. Carcass analyses indicated that the decrease in gain : food ratio was caused by less deposition of body fat.

5. Skin colour became significantly yellower as the dietary grass meal content increased.     

L-arginine supplementation of reduced-protein diets improves pulmonary hypertensive response in broiler chickens reared at high altitude

1. This study was conducted at high altitude (2100 m above sea level). A total of 208 d-old male broilers (Ross 308) were randomised across 16 floor pens and reared up to 42 d. A normal-protein diet (NPD) was formulated according to the National Research Council. A reduced-protein diet (RPD) was prepared with dietary protein reduced by 30 g/kg relative to that of the NPD. Two additional diets were prepared by adding 2 and 4 g L-arginine (ARG)/kg to the RPD. At the end of trial (42 d), blood sampling was done and carcass characteristics were recorded.

2. ARG supplementation of the RPD at 4 g improved feed:gain in the growing stage and throughout the trial compared with the RPD.

3. The right-to-total ventricular weight ratio was significantly increased in birds fed on RPD compared with those fed on NPD or ARG-supplemented RPD.

4. Feeding RPD caused a significant decrease in plasma concentrations of nitric oxide (NO) and uric acid. Plasma NO level, however, was restored by ARG supplementation of RPD. ARG supplementation of RPD, however, significantly reduced the rate of pulmonary hypertension syndrome mortality compared to the negative control fed on RPD.

     

Linear regression approach to study amino acid digestibility in broiler chickens

1. An experiment was conducted to investigate whether a linear regression approach is a suitable tool for determining the amino acid (AA) digestibility up to the terminal ileum of broiler chickens. Solvent-extracted rapeseed meal (RSM) was used as the model ingredient. 2. Ten diets with 5 different inclusion rates of RSM (60, 120, 180, 240 and 300 g/kg, corresponding to crude protein concentrations from 170 to 250 g/kg in the diet), each without or with a supplementation of phytase (500 U/kg), were fed ad libitum to broiler chickens between 14 and 21 d of age. Seven pens of 12 chickens were allocated to each treatment. Digesta were sampled on a pen basis from the section of the gastrointestinal tract between Meckel's diverticulum and 2 cm anterior to the ileo-caeco-colonic junction. Titanium dioxide was included as an indigestible marker. 3. The amounts of crude protein and AAs digested up to the terminal ileum constantly increased with increasing AA intake over the entire range of intakes. When the amount of an AA digested at the terminal ileum is linearly regressed against its intake, the deviation of the slope from 1 is caused by both the unabsorbed AA from RSM and from specific endogenous losses related to RSM. These slopes varied between 0.68 and 0.88 for individual AAs, and the slopes were unaffected by phytase supplementation. 4. It is suggested that a linear regression approach be adopted to study the AA digestibility of raw materials in chickens. Digestibility determined this way does not need any correction for basal endogenous loss.     

Sequential feeding of whole wheat to growing broiler chickens

1. Four broiler feeding trials were performed to examine the suitability of a whole wheat sequential feeding regimen for commercial broiler production. The sequential feeding programme gave a continuous cycle of ad libitum access to only whole wheat followed by the same time of access to only a pelleted diet. The pelleted diet provided a concentration of nutrients to balance that provided by the whole wheat. This was called a balancer diet.

2. The first trial used 144 cage‐reared broilers from 28 to 49 d of age. Four different times of access (4, 8, 12 and 24 h) to the two alternate foods were compared. A whole wheat choice‐feeding treatment and a complete single diet treatment were also compared. Whole wheat accounted for over 40% of the broilers’ total food intakes when they were given the sequential feeding treatments of 8 h or greater. The whole wheat intakes of the birds given the 4 h sequential feeding and the choice‐feeding were only 20 and 5% respectively. There was a non linear relationship between the weight gains of the broilers and the length of the sequential feeding period (P< 0.01). The growth rates of the broilers given sequential feeding were lowest (P< 0.05) in the 4‐h feeding periods but highest (P< 0.05) in the 8‐h periods. Weight gains decreased (P< 0.01) linearly as the sequential feeding periods were increased above 8 h.

3. A second trial, using 144 cage‐reared broilers, examined the effect of different balancer compositions or different wheat varieties in 8‐h sequential feeding. The broilers selected more whole wheat in their diet when they were given balancers with increased cereal contents. However, these broilers did not eat enough whole wheat to compensate for the reduced cereal content of the balancers and their overall diets had lower energy: protein ratios. The two different wheat samples did not result in any differences (P> 0.05) in the proportion of whole wheat selected by the broilers.

4. A third trial compared the diet selections, weight gains, food intakes and water excretions of 72 cage‐reared broilers given whole wheat feeding regimens. The growth rates of the broilers given a loose mix of whole wheat and a pelleted balancer diet were similar (P> 0.05) to broilers given a complete single diet. The growth rates of these two groups were 7% greater (P< 0.05) than broilers given choice‐feeding or 8‐h sequential feeding. There were no differences (P> 0.05) in the total amounts of water excreted among the 4 treatments.

5. The fourth trial used 828 broilers distributed in 6 floor pens. They were given either a complete diet or an 8‐h whole wheat sequential feeding regimen from 25 to 46 d of age. The food intakes and the growth rates of the broilers were reduced (P<0–05) in die sequential feeding treatment by 9% and 5% respectively. There was no difference (P> 005) in litter moisture between the 2 treatments.     

Passage rate through the anterior digestive tract of broiler chickens fed on diets with ground and whole wheat

1. Birds were fed diets containing ground or whole wheat and titanium dioxide for 10 min, followed by dissection of 4 birds per treatment after 30, 60, 90, 120, 150 and 180 min. 2. The crop, proventriculus and gizzard, duodenum, jejunum, and ileum from each bird were dried and combusted, and titanium content in each section was determined. 3. Significant amounts of titanium were found in the small intestine of the birds as soon as 30 min after being given feed containing titanium, and significant amounts had passed the small intestine after 120 to 150 min. 4. Titanium contents equivalent to approximately 5 g feed were eliminated from the gizzard per hour independently of whether ground or whole wheat was used. Thus, a hypothesis that the use of whole grain would slow down passage rate through the upper digestive tract was not supported by the current results.     

Comparison of maize,wheat and triticale in broiler diets

1. Wheat, triticale 131 or triticale 72‐S could replace up to half the maize in broiler diets without affecting performance. Replacing more of the maize on either an equal nitrogen basis or a weight basis adversely affected performance.

2. Triticale 72‐S appeared to be superior to triticale 131 as a direct replacement for maize, but both grains were inferior to maize as energy sources.     

The influence of whole grain inclusion in pelleted broiler diets on proventricular dilatation and ascites mortality

1. Pelleted diets, incorporating whole or ground wheat or barley in the pellets, were fed to broiler chickens and proventricular dilatation, digesta characteristics and mortality were recorded. 2. The incidence of proventricular dilatation was reduced when whole grain was incorporated into pelleted diets at 200 g/kg. 3. Enzyme application did not influence proventricular dilatation. 4. Digesta contents of intestinal sections were greater and pH lower in anterior intestinal sections when birds had dilated proventriculi. 5. Consideration of overall ascites mortality suggests that the incidence of the condition may be curtailed by whole grain inclusion in pelleted diets. 6. Production efficiency may be enhanced with whole grain inclusion in pellets when feed processing costs and flock health responses are considered.     

Pre-caecal digestible phosphorus in maize and wheat for broiler chickens

1. The objective of this study was to determine the coefficient of pre-caecal digestion of P in maize (3.9 g/kg of total P, 0.83 g/kg of phytate P, 138 FTU [phytase units]/kg) and wheat (3.17 g/kg of total P, 1.94 g/kg of phytate P, 666 FTU/kg) in broilers according to the WPSA protocol.

2. For the diets, monosodium phosphate was used as an additional P supplement. Two sets of diets containing 200, 460 and 740 g/kg of wheat or 200, 500 and 740 g/kg of maize were formulated. A total of 288 21-d-old male broilers (Ross 308) were assigned to 24 cages (8 birds per cage) and the 6 test diets were assigned to cages. The coefficient of pre-caecal digestion of P was determined by the indicator method and linear regression.

3. In both ingredients, pre-caecal digestible P increased linearly with increasing inclusion levels of maize or wheat (P < 0.05). The coefficients of digestion of pre-caecal P were estimated to be 0.18 for wheat and 0.33 for maize.     

Growth performance,carcass traits and digestive function of broiler chickens fed diets with graded levels of corn resistant starch

ABSTRACT

1. This study was conducted to assess the effects of graded levels of dietary corn resistant starch (RS) on growth performance, carcass traits, nutrient retention, digestive organ index, intestinal morphology, digestive enzyme activities, and mRNA expression of certain nutrient transporters in broiler chickens.

2. A total of 320, 1-d-old Arbor Acres broiler chickens were randomly assigned to five dietary treatments, with eight replicates of eight birds in each. These treatments included one corn-soybean control diet, a corn-soybean based diet containing 20% corn starch, and three diets supplemented with 4%, 8% and 12% RS by replacing corn starch with 6.67%, 13.33% and 20% of Hi-Maize 260® (identified as control, RS1, RS2, RS3 and RS4, respectively). The feeding period lasted 42 days.

3. Performance parameters including feed consumption, feed conversion, body weight gain and percentage of abdominal fat at d 42 of age, nutrient retention (including dry matter, fat, total starch and nitrogen free extract), and apparent metabolisable energy was measured from d 18 to 20 and d 39 to 41 and showed negative linear responses to increasing dietary RS level (P < 0.05). Birds fed the RS3 and RS4 diets showed higher relative weight of duodenum, jejunum and ileum, as well as lower villus height and villus height/crypt depth compared to the control (P < 0.05). The activity of pancreatic trypsin of birds at d 21 and 42 of age decreased linearly in response to the increase of dietary RS level (P < 0.01). There were linear changes in up-regulated mRNA expression of SGLT-1 and down-regulated mRNA expression of GLUT-2 with increasing proportion of RS at d 21 and 42 of age (P < 0.05), respectively.

4. It was concluded that feeding broilers with diets containing higher concentrations of RS impaired the development of small intestine, which resulted in lower apparent total tract retention of nutrients and poorer body weight gain, feed efficiency and carcass traits of broiler chickens.     

Effect of amino acid deficiency on precaecal amino acid digestibility in broiler chickens

In this study, we determined whether deficient dietary amino acid (AA) concentrations influence the precaecal (pc) AA digestibility when determined using the regression approach. We mixed two basal diets. Basal diet 1 was deficient in essential AAs, whereas adequate AA concentrations were ensured in basal diet 2 by adding free AAs. Rapeseed cake and full‐fat soya beans as test ingredients were included in the basal diets at levels of 100 and 200, and 150 and 300 g/kg, respectively, at the expense of maize starch. Each diet was tested with six replicates of 10 broiler chickens each. The feed intake of the chickens that were fed diets based on basal diet 2 was similar, whereas the feed intake of the chickens that were fed diets based on basal diet 1 differed considerably. The numerical differences in pc AA digestibility determined with basal diet 1 or 2 ranged from 2.6 percentage points to 20.8 percentage points in rapeseed cake and from 0.5 percentage points to 15.2 percentage points in soya beans. Across all measured AAs, the average differences were 10.1 percentage points and 5.4 percentage points in rapeseed cake and soya beans, respectively. The differences in the estimated pc AA digestibility between the basal diets were probably caused by different basal endogenous AA losses in the digesta between treatments as a consequence of different feed intake. Adequate AA concentrations and test ingredient levels that are specifically adjusted to avoid a negative effect on feed intake are recommended for future studies.