Effect of supplementing broilers diets with organic acid and whole grain

Abstract

An experiment was conducted with 102, 2 day-old Ross 308, male broilers to investigate the effects of Organic Acid (OA) components and Whole Wheat (WG) on the growth performance and plasma parameters. There were 3 dietary treatments, each consisting of 34 replicates. The three dietary treatments were, (i) control, (ii) basal diet + 0.5% OA and (iii) basal diet + 25% whole wheat. The chicks were offered starter diet from 1 to 21 and grower diet from 22 to 42 as ad libitum. Feed intakes and body weight gains of the broilers were measured at the end of the each week during the experiment. Blood samples was collected from 13 birds in each group by branchial vein and analyzed for serum biochemical values and enzyme activities. There was no toxic effect of OA evidence by the absence of any dramatic change in relative organ weights or other telltale signs of serum clinical chemistry that would suggest liver or kidney dysfunction. The result indicated that dietary organic acids had no significant effects on feed intake, body weight gain, feed efficiency, body weight and carcass weight (p<0.05) compared to control but were significantly higher than WG. Whereas protein, albumin, glucose, BUN, cholesterol, ALP, ALT, Ca and P significantly different in OA group (p<0.05). The relative weights of the hot carcass and length of small intestines was statistically significant (p<0.05). Dietary whole grain had significant effects on feed intake, body weight and body weight gain (p<0.05). It is therefore concluded that 0.5% OA and 25% WG supplemented diets did not alter the performance and had no adverse effects on health of the broiler chickens. © 2008 Academic Journals Inc.