The Effect of Adding Xylanase Enzyme to Diets of Broilers Containing De-Hulled Sunflower Meal as a Substitute for Soybean Meal on Growth, Gastrointestinal Mass, Biology, and Intestinal Morphology, Blood Serum Biochemical Traits

Abstract

This study was conducted in the Poultry Research Hall of the Department of Animal Production/College of Agriculture and Forestry/University of Mosul, with the aim of studying the effect of adding xylanase enzyme to broiler rations containing de-hulled sunflower meal instead of soybean meal on digestive mass, biology and morphology of the intestines, and serum biochemicals Traits. It used 360 non-sexed broiler chicks (Ross-308), with an average hatching weight of 41.50 grams. the chicks were randomly distributed in a factorial experiment with two factors (4×2) to eight feeding treatments, with three replicates for each treatment and 15 chicks for each replicate, homogeneous in their weights. And for a period of 42 days of age. The results indicated that the substitution of de-hulled sunflower meal by 33% did not have a significant effect on live body weight, feed consumption, intestinal morphology and biology, and blood serum biochemistry compared with the control treatment. While it was observed that a significant deterioration (P≤0.05) occurred in all of these characteristics when the substitution level was increased to 66 and 100%, these two treatments also caused an increase in the relative weight of the gizzard and small intestine and in the number of pathogenic bacteria (E. coli) compared with the control treatment. The results of the statistical analysis of the interference case showed a significant decrease (p≤ 0.05) for the partial and total substitution treatments (66 and 100% Dh-SFM with or without xylanase enzyme) in the live body weight, with a deterioration in the morphological characteristics of the jejunum segment and an increase in the relative weight of the gizzard. And small intestine compared with the negative and positive control treatments.