Dietary sunflower hulls and protein levels affect performance, gut health, and litter quality in broiler chickens

spp. Additionally, the inclusion of 40 g/kg SFH effectively reduced litter nitrogen content. In conclusion, these findings suggest that moderate inclusion of sunflower hulls, particularly at 40 g/kg, has the potential to enhance digestive efficiency, support gut health, and modulate microbial populations in broiler chickens. However, its efficacy in mitigating the performance drawbacks of reduced-crude protein diets warrants more cautious optimization depending on the specific dietary balanced amino acid profiles.