Dietary butyric acid as a substitute for enramycin in broiler chicken diets

This study evaluated butyric acid (BA) as an alternative to enramycin in broiler chicken diets. Overall, 1,000 one-day-old Cobb 500 broilers were randomly assigned to five treatments: negative control, enramycin control, and BA at 1,000, 750, or 500 g/ton. Growth performance was evaluated throughout the period, while carcass traits, meat quality, and chemical composition were assessed at 42 days. No significant differences were observed during the starter phase (P > 0.05). During the grower phases, BA affected body weight gain and feed conversion ratio, with performance comparable to enramycin (P < 0.05). In the finisher phase, BA affected feed intake, body weight gain, and feed conversion ratio (P < 0.05). Birds receiving 1,000 or 500 g/ton BA showed performance comparable to enramycin. Carcass traits, meat quality, and chemical composition were unaffected (P > 0.05). Thus, BA may represent a promising alternative to enramycin as a promoting additive in broiler diets.