Abstract
Growth performance, carcass traits and histological changes in the intestinal villi of male broiler chickens fed dietary silicic acid powder containing bamboo vinegar liquid
Highlights
Antibiotics have been widely used in poultry diets to maintain health and production efficiency
Proliferation of pathogenic and zoonotic bacteria in the feed is inhibited by its acidity, with similar inhibition in the gastrointestinal tract, which is beneficial to animal health
Bamboo vinegar liquid is an acidic byproduct of bamboo charcoal production
Summary
Antibiotics have been widely used in poultry diets to maintain health and production efficiency. With bans on the use of antibiotics as growth promoters in animal feed, finding ways to replace them is necessary. Acidifiers are an alternative to antibiotics in poultry for promoting growth and improving gut health. Acidifiers in feed lower the stomach pH, which increases the activity of proteolytic enzymes. This improves protein digestibility and contributes to weight gain of the host animal (Partanen and Mroz, 1999). The main components of bamboo vinegar are acetic acid and water, which contribute 3.5%–4% and 80%–90%, respectively (Velmurugan et al, 2009). The organic compounds in bamboo vinegar are classified into carboxylic acids, phenols, ketones and aldehydes (Akakabe et al, 2006). Silicon (50–500 ppm) is essential for growth and skeletal development in chickens (McDowell, 1992)
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