Enzymes (beta-glucanase and arabinoxylanase) and/or sepiolite supplementation and the nutritive value of maize-barley-wheat based diets for broiler chickens.

1. Two experiments were conducted to study the effects of crude enzyme preparations (beta-glucanase and arabinoxylanase) and/or 20 g/kg Sepiolite (Exal) on the performance and nutrient digestion of broiler chickens fed on maize-barley-wheat based diets. 2. In experiment 1, enzymes improved daily bodyweight gain (by 14%; P<0.001) and food:gain ratios (8%; P<0.001). Sepiolite improved bodyweight gain on the diets not supplemented simultaneously with enzymes (by 6% in 21-d-old chickens, P<0.05) but reduced it for enzymes-supplemeented diets. Changes in productive perfiormance with both additives were associated with changes in diet digestibility and nitrogen balance. 3. In experiment 2, enzyme supplementation reduced viscosity in jejunum and ileum and the mean retention time of digesta in the gut. Sepiolite inclusion significantly reduced the viscosity of jejunum digesta and modified the retention times of digesta in the gut, depending upon whether enzymes had been added. There was a decreased retention time without enzymes but an increase with enzyme supplementation. 4. Although different mechanisms are presumed for enzymes and sepiolite, both seem to counteract the negative effects of soluble, non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) in the diet by modifying jejunal viscosity and improving organic matter digestibility.

The nutritive value of dietary fats in relation to their chemical composition. Apparent fat availability and metabolizable energy in two-week-old chicks.

Broiler chicks at 2 wk of age were fed the following fats and oils at 4% in a corn-wheat-soybean basal diet: palm oil (PO); tallow (T1 and T2); tallow + soybean oil (50:50, TSO); tallow+acidulated soybean oil soapstock (50:50, TASO); soybean oil (SO); and linseed oil (LO). All of these, with the exception of T1, contained 5% soybean lecithin. The apparent fat availability (AFA) and AME of added fats ranged from 78.8 to 96.0% and from 7.32 to 8.95 kcal/g, respectively. Three fat sources (TSO, SO, and LO) resulted in the highest values for these two measurements, whereas PO, T1, T2, and TASO showed the lowest values. There was no difference for AME of diets among fat-supplemented treatments, regardless of the difference in the nutritive values of the fats and oils tested. The apparent availability of each fatty acid (AAFA) for C16:0, C18:0, C18:1, C18:2, and C18:3 was calculated from the analysis of the diets and excreta collected over a 4-d period. The results of the present study indicated that 2-wk-old chicks utilize TSO, SO, and LO more efficiently than PO, T1, T2, and TASO.