Effects of supplementing a multienzyme to broiler diets containing a high level of wheat or canola meal on intestinal morphology and performance of chicks

Abstract

This experiment was conducted to evaluate the response of broiler chicks to Natuzyme (a commercial multienzyme) supplementation in diets containing wheat and canola meal. A total of 336 male Arbor Acres broiler chicks were used in a 3 × 2 factorial arrangement of dietary treatments that comprised 3 basal diets (corn-soybean, corn-wheat-soybean, corn-wheat-soybean-canola) and 2 enzyme levels (without enzyme and 0.350 g/kg of Natuzyme plus) (4 cage replicates per treatment). The corn-wheat-soybean diet contained 30% wheat, and the cornwheat- soybean-canola diet contained 30% wheat and 10% canola meal. Results showed that Natuzyme-supplemented diets containing wheat or wheat and canola meal led to significant improvements in growth performance compared with enzyme-unsupplemented diets, which resulted in a decrease of digesta viscosity and increase of villi height and villus height:crypt depth ratio in the small intestine. © 2013 Poultry Science Association, Inc.