Effect of enzyme supplementation on performance of broiler chicks

Abstract EN

An experiment was conducted to study the effect of adding a commercial enzyme (Nutrase Xylan) to diets of male broiler chicks on their productive performance.

The enzyme is of bacterial origin (Bacilluis subtilis) which contains Endo-1, 4-β-xylanase combined with β-amylase.

The enzyme was added to a balanced corn/soy diet at two levels, (0.05 % and 0.1 %).

The experiment was designed to test two different energy levels against a normal energy requirement (recommended oil addition).

A total number of 150 one-day old male Ross chicks was individually weighed and randomly distributed among five groups of 30 chicks each.

The control was fed a starter-grower diet (0-28 day old) which contained 22 % CP and 3100 Kcal ME / kg feed, 1.72 % oil and a finisher diet (28-42 day old) which contained 19 % CP and 3200 Kcal ME / kg feed and 3.51 % oil.

The control group was fed dites which contained normal energy, 3100 and 3200 Kcal ME for starter/grower and finisher, respectiviley.

The Control group compared with four treated groups as follows : En 1 / 0.05 (3040 and 3060 Kcal ME / Kg diet) with 0.05 % enzyme ; En 1 / 0.10 same as En 1 / 0.05 but with 0.10 % enzyme; En 2/0.05 (2970 and 2920 Kcal) l with 0.05 % enzyme and En 2 / 0.10 same as En 2 / 0.05 but with 0.10 % enzyme.

/The results obtained were as follow - No significant difference was found between supplementation of enzyme at 0.05 % or 0.1 % levels over all the experiment.

- No significant increase in body weight (BW) between the control group and En1 groups in either of starter / grower or finisher: 953g vs.

946g and 945g ; 1791g vs.

1764g and 1743g, respectively.

No significant differences in BW were found between both En 2 groups overall the experiment.

- Feed intake (FI) showed no significant difference between the control group and En1 treated groups in starting/growing and finishing periods.

In addition, in the whole period, no significant difference in FI was found between En2 groups.

- Weight gain (WG) showed no significant difference in starting / growing and finishing periods between the control group and En1 groups (911g vs.

904 and 903g).

No significant difference in WG was found between En2 treated groups throughout the experiment.

- The enzyme treated groups containing low energy levels (En 1 / 0.05 and En 1 / 0.1) gave similar results of body weight as obtained from the control group (normal energy or recommended oil requirement).

However, starter / grower and finisher diets had 1.99 % and 4.4 B% reduction in ME / kg values (DM), respectively.