Changes of Intestine Dimensions Determined by Barley and Wheat-Based Non Starch Polysaccharides (NSP) in Broilers

Abstract

The objective of this experiment was to determine the main intestine dimension changes generated by the NSP content of the combined forage and by beta glucanase utilization in concordance with barley and wheat proportion in the structure of the combined forage for broilers. In this viewpoint, we carried out an experiment consisted of 5 experimental variants, as follows: EG1 - fed with a combined forage without barley, EG2 - fed with a combined forage including 60% barley in its structure in the first and second growth periods as well, EG3 - fed with a combined forage similar with the one offered in EG2, but with addition of beta glucanase 75 ppm, EG4 – with the enzyme in a quantity of 100 ppm and EG5 - 50 % of the barley amount was replaced with wheat and we also added beta glucanase 75 ppm. At the end of the experiment, successive to chicken killing, we determined the main changes at intestine dimension level and muscle stomach. By incorporating barley in proportion of 60 % in the combined forage structure, the intestinal dimensions (length, diameter) get changed, and also the width of the muscle stomach. The incorporation of enzymes in the combined forage structure reduces the differences available between the intestinal dimensions in the group fed with enzyme and the one that was not fed with enzyme: there are significant differences (p<0.05) between the length of duodenum, cecum and ileonum of the chickens fed with forage including beta glucanase 75 ppm and the chickens fed with forage including barley without beta glucanase, of up to 20 %. There are also significant differences in the case of the muscle stomach diameter, of up to 25 %.

Keywords

• barley
• broiler
• intestine dimensions
• non starch polysaccharides
• wheat