Performance and digestive function of broiler chickens given grit in the diet

Abstract

1. A series of experiments were carried out to study the effect of grit on broiler performance, gizzard development and fate of grit in the digestive tract. 2. In Experiment 1, performance, gizzard weight and content of grit in the gizzard of broiler chickens given access to granite-type grit was investigated. In Experiment 2, the effect of grit stones on performance and gizzard development was assessed in diets with or without whole wheat. 3. In Experiment 3, the effect of grit in the form of zeolite, granite or marble on gizzard development and digestive tract grinding and passage was studied in diets with or without whole wheat. 4. Grit stones had no effect on performance of broiler chickens, which may be explained by the fact that grit stones did not stimulate gizzard development to the same extent as with other structural materials. 5. The lack of stimulation is at least partly due to the fact that a majority of the grit stones eaten pass through the small intestine without being retained in the gizzard. 6. Grit in the form of marble reduced feed intake and weight gain.

Tahıl Taneleri Olarak Mısır ve Arpa Kapsayan Karma Yemlere Grit İlavesinin Broylerlerde Performans ve Kesim Özelliklerine Etkileri

“…Some researchers [1,2,11] stated that there were no differences with using grit among the groups in terms of carcass yield and relative percentages of organ weight. Some early studies [1,[26][27][28] showed that granite grit usage increased the weight of gizzard but had no effect on performance of broilers, which is also consistent with our results. This result can be explained by a large proportion and different size of the grit stones consumed by chicks retained in the gizzard [2,29] .…”

Determination of gastrointestinal passage rate using three different markers in laying hens

“…Although the size of BIPS particles used in this study was 1.5 mm, which is representative of ground grain particles and within the maximum size of particles to pass through gizzard (0.5–1.5 mm), consistency could be one of the factor for the slow passage rate of the BIPS as particle hardness will influence the passage rate (Ferrando et al, ). A previous study in chickens showed that grit stones may occasionally be retained in the gizzard and pass through the small intestine without being grounded (Svihus et al, ). Moreover, when comparing the BIPS and TiO 2 methods, a significant disagreement on the passage rate of these markers could be detected (Figure ).…”