Tolerance of Cobb-500 broilers to a supplemental Clostridium fermentation solubles broth in the diet

Abstract

Volatile short-chain fatty acids such as butyric and acetic acid have been supplemented in poultry rations as a feed ingredient and nutritive supplement. A novel Clostridium fermentation solubles broth (MiruTyton), containing short-chain fatty acids, minerals, and amino acids, was supplemented in a standard corn/soybean meal–based ration at a rate of 750, 1,500, 3,000, and 6,000 mg/kg to achieve approximately 277, 554, 1,108, and 2,216 mg/kg of ammonium butyrate in the diet. After 6 wk, supplementation at all levels did not cause significant changes in the blood parameters or any live performance metric of mixed-sex Cobb-500 broilers (N = 1,920). In addition, administering 6,000 mg/kg of MiruTyton caused no significant lesions in any of the tissue examined except for an increase ( P < 0.05) in proventricular gastritis as compared with control. The inclusion of 1,500 and 3,000 mg/kg MiruTyton increased ( P < 0.01) blood globulin as compared with the control group, which indicates a higher concentration of antibodies in circulation. This experiment demonstrates that mixed-sex Cobb-500 broilers can tolerate supplemental ammonium butyrate up to 2,216 mg/kg in the ration with no negative impact to live performance.