Aspects of development of digestive activity of intestine in young chickens,ducks and geese

The experiment comprised 100 chickens, 100 ducks and 100 geese fed diets based on mixed grains of maize, barley and wheat. Nutrient concentrations in the mixtures were in accordance with the requirements of poultry species. The birds were kept in metabolic cages from the 1st up to the 42nd day of life. The measurements of body weight, activity of alpha-amylase and lipase in pancreatic tissue, enzymatic activity of intestinal wall cells, parameters of carbohydrate fermentations, ileal and total amino acids digestibility were conducted on the 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 28th and 42nd day of life or on the 14th, 28th and 42nd day of life. The pancreas alpha-amylase activity in chickens during the whole period was quite constant; in ducks and geese it was very low, but from the 28th day a dynamic increase in the activity of the pancreatic enzymes was observed in these birds. The activity of lipase was low but from the 28th day of experiment an increase was noted and was much higher in waterfowl than in chickens. The highest caecal concentration of SCFA (Short chain fatty acids) (in total high) was noted in chickens; these values were slightly lower in geese and ducks. A high (70%) ileal amino acids digestibility was seen in very young chickens; during the period of 15-42 days this value amounted up to 73%. In geese, the obtained values were 63% and in ducks 43-61%, with a mean of 55%. Faecal digestibility of amino acids had a mean of up to 86% for all species but the digestibility of single amino acids such as cystine, glycine, histidine and tyrosine was diversified and relatively lower than the others.