Evaluation of wet-feeding wheat-based diets containing Saccharomyces cerevisiae to broiler chickens

1. This experiment investigated the effects of water and Saccharomyces cerevisiae added to wheat-based diets on gastrointestinal, blood and performance parameters of broiler chickens. 2. A total of 160 one-d-old male broiler chicks were given air-dry or wet diets, with or without S. cerevisiae supplementation (0 and 20 g/kg air-dry feed) ad libitum to 42 d. 3. Feeding broilers with a diet mixed with water in a ratio of 1·2 : 1·0 increased body weight, feed intake, abdominal fat, carcase weight, feed transit time and blood HDL (high density lipoprotein) (without yeast). Supplementation with S. cerevisiae increased DM digestibility but reduced ileal pH, ileal coliform population and abdominal fat content. 4. There was a significant interaction between S. cerevisiae and wet feeding, with S. cerevisiae supplementation inducing a significant increase in body weight and feed intake but a reduction of relative abdominal fat and ileal pH of broilers fed on wet diets. 5. It is concluded that wet feeding improved growth performance by increasing feed intake and that the addition of a culture of S. cerevisiae had a growth stimulating effect, as the inclusion of yeast in wet wheat-based broiler diets generated greater responses than yeast in dry-based diets.