Location: Poultry Research
Project Number: 6064-32630-011-003-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Sep 1, 2021
End Date: Aug 30, 2026
Objective:
Determine the effectiveness of altering the balance and concentration of dietary nutrients to reduce incidence, severity, and adverse performance associated with enteric infections.
Subobjective 1.A: Assess effects of dietary mineral sources and concentrations on necrotic enteritis infections in broilers.
Subobjective 1.B: Determine effects of dietary fiber types and concentrations on susceptibility and severity of necrotic enteritis infections in broilers.
Approach:
Subobjective 1.A: The experiment evaluating this subobjective has been completed. The remaining data analyses and article publication will occur during this continuation.
Subobjective 1.B: Dietary fiber types and concentrations have been observed to affect broiler gastrointestinal function and improve nutrient digestibility. In addition, dietary fiber may also have positive effects on the microbiome, which may improve gastrointestinal health and resiliency in broilers when challenged with subclinical enteric diseases. Therefore, an experiment will be conducted to evaluate the effects dietary fiber types and concentrations on the susceptibility and severity of necrotic enteritis infections in broilers. Broilers will be fed 1 of 8 experimental treatments as follows: 1) Diet formulated to contain 3% oat hulls (insoluble fiber source), 2) Diet formulated to contain 3% soy hulls (insoluble fiber source), 3) Diet formulated to contain 1.5% soy hulls and 1.5% wheat midds (soluble fiber source), 4) Diet formulated to contain 1.5% soy hulls and 1.5% sugar beet pulp (soluble fiber source), 5) Diet formulated to contain 1.5% oat hulls and 1.5% wheat midds, 6) Diet formulated to contain 1.5% oat hulls and 1.5% sugar beet pulp, 7) Control diet with no added fiber source – challenged, and 8) Control diet with no added fiber source – unchallenged. Those provided experimental treatments 1 through 7 will be challenged with subclinical necrotic enteritis. Experimental diets will be formulated with corn and soybean meal as the primary ingredients and to be adequate in amino acids, vitamins, and minerals. Titanium dioxide will be added at 0.5% as an indigestible marker for the determination of fiber and amino acid digestibility. Diets and ingredients will be analyzed for nitrogen, insoluble and soluble total dietary fiber, phytase, and xylanase concentrations. On d 21 and 35, six birds per pen will be euthanized to obtain digesta to determine apparent digestibility of amino acids, total insoluble fiber, and soluble fiber. In addition, contents from ileal and ceca will be collected for the determination of endogenous cellulose, and xylanase for an indication of the amount of fermentation occurring from the addition of fiber sources. Endo-cellulose and xylanase will be determined with from megazyme kits accordingly to manufacturer’s instructions. Ceca samples will be analyzed for short chain fatty acids with gas chromatography by a commercial laboratory.
