Potential of oak acorn with and without polyethylene glycol as an alternative to corn in broiler diets

F Saeidi,M Zarrin,M Houshmand,S Parsaei

doi:10.4314/sajas.v47i6.17

Abstract

This study was conducted to investigate the potential for replacing corn with oak acorn (OA), a tannin-rich feedstuff, and the possible role of polyethylene glycol (PEG) in reducing detrimental effects of OA on broilers. A 3 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments was used with three levels of OA (0, 150, and 200 g/kg diet), with and without 10 g/kg PEG. A total of 528 one-day-old male and female Cobb 500 broiler chicks were randomly assigned to one of six experimental treatments, with four replicates of 22 birds each. OA was included in the starter (days 1–21) and finisher (days 22–42) diets as a replacement for corn, without changing the dietary levels of other ingredients. The results indicated that dietary inclusion of OA, without PEG, significantly reduced bodyweight gain (BWG) overall (days 1–42) and resulted in worse finisher and overall feed conversion ratios (FCR). PEG had no significant effect on the performance of birds fed diets without OA, but improved overall the BWG of birds receiving 150 and 200 g/kg OA as well as finisher and overall the FCR of birds given 150 g/kg OA. Liver and pancreas weights were not significantly influenced by OA level, PEG or their interaction. Feeding with 200 g/kg OA had deleterious effects on some tibia traits. In conclusion, a significant interaction between OA level and PEG indicates that PEG has the potential to reduce the adverse effects of OA, leading to improved performance. Thus, up to 150 g/kg OA could be included in PEG-supplemented diets, without adverse effects on performance or the tibia traits of broilers. Keywords : High-tannin feedstuff, performance, poultry nutrition, tibia characteristic

Highlights

Corn is a traditional energy source in poultry nutrition
The findings show that Iranian oak acorn (OA) has a high level of nitrogen-free extract (NFE) (664.6 g/kg DM)
It may be used as an energy source in poultry diets. Consistent with this result, Shimada (2001) reported that NFE was the major component of nutrients (874–903 g/kg DM) in three species of acorn

Summary

Introduction

Corn is a traditional energy source in poultry nutrition. it is an expensive feed ingredient in developing countries. Various parameters, such as diet palatability, feed intake, BWG, feed efficiency (Medugu et al, 2012) and nutrient availability (carbohydrates, proteins, minerals and vitamins) are influenced negatively by tannins (Jansman, 1993) They have deleterious consequences for internal organs such as the intestines, liver, and pancreas (Ortiz et al, 1994). It was reported that feeding broilers diets containing 100 and 200 g/kg OA significantly reduced their performance, impaired the ileal digestibility of nutrients (dry matter (DM) and crude protein (CP)), and had deleterious effects on intestinal morphology (Rezaei & Semnaninejad, 2016). The current study was designed to investigate the potential of OA as an alternative to corn in broiler diets and the possible role of PEG in improving the nutritive value of this feedstuff for broiler chickens

Materials and Methods

Results and Discussion

Conclusions