The compensation effect of dietary garlic on chicken consuming a minimal level of choline

Abstract

An experiment with two dietary choline levels (recommended level or 75% of the recommended level) and three dietary garlic powders (0, 5 or 10 g/kg) was conducted on broiler chickens. Three hundred thirty mixed sex 1-day-old Ross 308 broiler chickens were randomly assigned to six dietary treatments, each housed in four replicate pens with 14 birds per pen. Dietary garlic increased the finisher phase’s feed intake. Dietary 10 g/kg of garlic powder and recommended choline level improved body weight gain. Choline deficiency increased feed conversion ratio (FCR). The jejunum villi height was decreased in birds consuming the choline deficient diets; however, villi height was increased by garlic powder. In the duodenum and ileum, 10 g/kg diet garlic powder significantly increased crypt depth compared to those of the treatments with no garlic. This study showed that reducing dietary choline to 75% of the recommended level reduced the growth rate of broilers that could be compensated by dietary garlic. This effect was partly due to higher finisher phase feed intake.

Keywords

• Broilers
• choline deficiency
• garlic powder
• intestine morphology
• performance