Effect of Triticale Grain in Diets on Performance, Development of Gastrointestinal Tract and Microflora in Crop and Ileum of Broiler Chickens

Abstract

The purpose of the research was to determine the effect of the use of a diet containing 30% triticale grain. In an experiment lasting 28 days, 180 one-day Ross-308 chickens (sex ratio 1:1) with an average initial body weight in treatment of 44.6 g were randomly assigned to 30 metabolic cages/replications, 6 birds in each. To compare the results between treatments, a one-way ANOVA was used with uneven replication numbers. The control group (I) received a standard diet containing maize and soybean meal. In the other treatments, 30% of different cereals were used: II—wheat, III—barley, and IV—triticale. Significant differences in body weight (BW) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were observed on the 4th day of the life of broiler chickens (p p > 0.05). In the nutrition of broiler chickens, control or 30% of the triticale diet caused a significant reduction (p Escherichia coli (E. coli) in the crop of broiler chickens (0 log cfu/g), compared to birds obtaining feed with 30% of wheat (1.78 log cfu/g). The diet containing triticale also reduced the number of E. coli (p p p Lactobacillus sp. in the ileum. Triticale increased the pH in the crop of broilers chickens. The research results indicate that triticale, after longer storage, can be used in amounts of 30% of the diet without significant effect on the performance of broiler chickens, with a reduction in E. coli in crop in comparison with wheat and in ileum with barley.

Keywords

• triticale
• microorganisms
• crop
• broiler chickens
• performance