Physiologically Studied Appropriate Broiler Diets for Better Chicks

Abstract

The inclusion of low phytate grains in poultry diets will scale back the phosphorus (P) content of poultry feces; however their influence on fecal P composition isn't well established. To assess this, a hundred male broiler chicks (21 days old) were fed dietary treatments supported either a wild-type barley or one among 3 low salt mutant grains with 59, 62 & 99 reductions in phytate P, compared with the regular barley diet. The birds were housed in raised-floor battery cages with mesh grate floors above fecal collection trays with 4 birds per pen and 4 pens per treatment. The birds were fed for 9 days and faeces were collected twice every day throughout the last 2 days of the experiment. Total P concentrations were 10-20% lower in stool from birds fed low phytate barley diets compared with those fed the traditional barley diet. Phosphorus digestibleness increased (P = 0.05) as salt within the barley diet decreased. Phosphate was the main P fraction within the feces (69-75% extracted P) despite the sort of barley fed. Phytate constituted solely 3-12% of the P within the faeces, indicating its hydrolysis in the bird. Overall, these results recommend that feeding low-phytate barley diets will scale back P concentrations in poultry faeces while not inflicting vital changes in P composition.

Keywords: low-salt grain; chicks; feces