The effect of non-starch polysaccharides derived from different grains on performance and digestive activity in laying hens

Abstract

An experiment was conducted to observe the effect of non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) on performance and digestive activity of laying hens. Thirty-two ISA Brown hens were individually caged and offered four diets (wheat-based, millrun-based, barley-based, and barley-enzymes diets) for 10 weeks. The present experiment was assigned in a completely randomized design with 8 replicates per dietary treatment. Wheat- and barley diets caused significantly higher (P<0.05) viscosity than other diets. Increased viscosity caused lower digesta dry matter (DM) (P<0.01) and higher excreta moisture (P<0.05). The wheat diet did not cause a negative effect on intestinal starch digestibility, feed intake, and bird performance (P>0.05). Birds fed the barley-based diet had lower weight gain (P<0.05) and higher caecal weight (P<0.05) than those given other diets. Enzyme supplementation on barley diets significantly (P<0.05) reduced jejunal digesta viscosity and caecal weight, increased weight gain (P<0.05) and ileal digesta DM (P<0.01), and numerically reduced excreta moisture. The current study demonstrated that NSP have a profound effect on digesta viscosity, performance, and digestive organs of birds; however, the NSP action may be modified by an interaction with each other and with other cellwall components of grains in the gut. Enzyme supplementation reduced the negative effect of digesta viscosity.