Enzyme supplementation of barley based diets for broiler chickens

Abstract

The influence of bacterial and fungal enzyme supplements at 0.1 5 and 0.30% of barley based diets on the growth and nutrient utilization of female broiler chickens (Tegel strain) was studied in three experiments. All diets were based on Australian barley cultivars and were fed as mash. Body weight gain was improved by 12 to 25% and food consumption increased by 3 to 21% in supplemented treatments at 4 weeks of age. Diets based on the cultivars Clipper, Ketch and Noyep each grown at Coonalpyn, Port Pirie and Ardrossan in South Australia gave similar growth responses to enzyme supplementation. The metabolizable energy content of the diets was improved by 0.75 MJ kg-1 and 1.53 MJ kg-1 dry matter. An examination of the utilization of dietary nitrogen, soluble sugar, starch, pentosans and soluble â-glucan could not account for the improved metabolizable energy.