The experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of organic acid mixture and/or mannanoligosaccharides (MOS) on growth performance, blood parameters and intestinal microbiota in 120 Ross 308 male broiler chicks, over a period of 21 days. Birds were maintained in battery brooders confined in an environmentally controlled experimental room. There were 4 dietary treatments, each consisting of 6 replicates. Dietary treatments were: (i) basal diet (as a control), (ii) basal diet + MOS 2 kg/ton feed, (iii) basal diet + organic acid mixture 3 kg/ton feed and (iv) basal diet + MOS 2 kg/ton feed + organic acid mixture 3 kg/ton feed. Weight gain of the broilers in this study was significantly influenced by the addition of organic acid mixture (P<0.01). The lowest feed intake and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were detected in the MOS supplemented groups (P<0.05). Erythrocyte length (EL) was significantly increased in MOS + organic acid mixture fed groups (P<0.05). In ileal digesta, lactic acid bacteria counts increased in MOS + organic acid mixture fed groups (P<0.001). Otherwise, E. coli counts decreased in MOS, organic acid mixture and MOS + organic acid mixture fed groups compared to control groups (P<0.001). In caecal digesta, lactic acid bacteria counts increased (P<0.001), whereas E. coli numbers decreased compared to control groups (P<0.001)

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This experiment was designed to investigate the effects of supplementation with plant extract, either alone or in combination with an organic acid on growth performance, intestinal organ measurements and intestinal microbiology. One-day-old male Ross 308 strain broiler chicken (n=96) were allocated to 4 dietary treatments in a randomized complete block design. Dietary treatments were: (i) basal diet (as a control) (C), (ii) basal diet + organic acid mixture feed (OA), (iii) basal diet + plant extract (PE) and (iv) basal diet + organic acid mixture + plant extract feed (OA+PE). Body weight gain (BWG), feed intake (FI) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were not improved by supplementation of OA or PE to the diets. Proventriculus, gizzard, hearth, liver, pancreas, abdominal fat and bursa of Fabricious weights were not significantly affected by dietary treatments. OA and PE diets resulted in increased weight and length of duodenum, jejenum, ileum and caceum. However, differences between treatments were not statistically significant (P>0.05). Supplementation of organic acid has positive effect on ileal microbiology. In ileal digesta, LAB and yeast counts were significantly (P<0.001) increased for birds fed OA and PE, whereas Escherichia coli counts were significantly (P<0.001) decreased in OA group. In conclusion, as OA and PE supplementation had any positive effects on the performance. Ileum microflora of OA supplemented group changed for the benefit of non-pathogenic bacteria, probably due to the decrease in pH levels of ileum. E. coli count was found lower for OA treatment than the other groups. These results indicate that the OA can improve gut health. The products that researched show promising effects, however, further researchers may be useful to understand their effects better.

An experiment was conducted using Bovans White layers to investigate the effects of 30% whole-wheat inclusion in a standard layer diet supplemented with xylanase, on laying performance, digestive organs and ileal mucosa development. Three dietary treatments were used: 1) control diet (30% ground wheat); 2) 30% whole wheat; 3) whole wheat+wheat xylanase. Xylanase was added to whole wheat at 150g/ton. Including the pre-experimental period the trial lasted for 13 weeks. Xylanase supplementation to whole wheat significantly (P<0.05) improved egg production and feed conversion rate compared to the ground wheat and whole wheat fed groups. Gizzard pH was not affected by dietary treatments, while whole wheat feeding significantly (P<0.05) reduced jejuno-ileal pH and increased gizzard and jejuno-ileal viscosity compared to the ground wheat fed and xylanase supplemented groups. Proventriculus, gizzard, duodenum, jejunum, ileum, caecum, colon and liver weights were not significantly affected by dietary treatments. Feeding whole wheat w/wo xylanase supplementation significantly (P<0.05) increased crypt depth but did not affect lamina muscularis mucosae thickness

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This study was conducted to test the effects of a commercial enzyme (with β-glucanase and pentosanase activities) supplemented into low-protein low-energy barley and wheat based broiler diets on broiler performance. The enzyme was added at 500 g/ton into broiler grower and finisher diets consisting of mainly wheat at 76%, 85% or barley 67%, 75%, respectively. Four dietary treatments were wheat, wheat + enzyme, barley, barley + enzyme. Each treatment had six replications. This experiment was planned according to a completely randomised design by placing ten 14-day-old mixed male and female chicks into one experimental cage unit with wire floor. Cobb broiler chicks were used in this study. Experimental grower and finisher diets were fed to chicks between 14-28 and 28-42 days of age, respectively. One-day-old chicks were fed a standard starter diet (23% protein; 12.77 MJ ME/kg) according to NRC (1994) recommendations. Grower diet and finisher diets were formulated to be 10% lower than NRC (1994) with respect to the protein and metabolisable energy content. Body weight, average weight gain (14-42 days period), feed intake and feed efficiency ratio were measured at 42 days of age. The results of this study demonstrated that the enzyme with β-glucanase and pentosanase activities supplemented into barley-based broiler diets significantly (P < 0.05) improved body weight by 10%, from 1 779 to 1 958 g, and gain by 12%, from 1 485 to 1 657 g, respectively. However, when the same enzyme was supplemented into wheat-based diets, no improvement (P < 0.05) was obtained in body weight and feed efficiency, being 1 723 and 1 677 g and 1 973 and 1 957, respectively for wheat and wheat + enzyme groups. The feed efficiency ratio was also significantly (P < 0.05) improved in barley-based diet from 1.898 to 1.845 by enzyme addition during the 14-42 days experimental period.