Effects of feeding raw and processed triticale grain on performance and morphology of small intestinal mucosa in broilers

Document Type : Research Paper

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Abstract

In order to investigate the effects of feeding raw triticale grain as well as processed ones on broiler performance, three hundred male broiler chickens of Cobb 500 were used in a completely randomized design with 5 treatments and 4 replications. The treatments were as follows: corn-soybean meal (control), raw triticale (80% of cereal part in diet), triticale proceed by water 40 ° C (80% of cereal part in diet), triticale proceed by acetic acid (80% of cereal part in diet) and triticale proceed by enzymes (80% of cereal part in diet). Results showed that  total weight gain among the  treatments differed significantly (P<0.05), body weight in chickens fed with triticale proceed  by water 40 ° C and control were the highest but in the  chickens fed with raw triticale this criteria was the lowest. Different processing of triticale grain did not make any significant effect on carcass characteristics (P>0.05). Feed intake and feed conversion ratio were not significantly affected by treatments. The relative weight of intestine and length of its different parts recorded  no changes  by raw triticale grain and processed ones,  but use of raw triticale grain decreased villous height and increased width of the villi (P<0.05). Either acidified or raw triticale reduced production index (P<0.05). It could be concluded that nutritional value of triticale grain was improved by water treatment and it can be used up to 80% of cereal grains in broilers diet.

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