Effects of Xylanase Supplementation to Wheat-based Diet on the Performance and Nutrient Availability of Broiler Chickens

Growth trialThis experiment was a randomized design with a 4×2 factorial arrangement for wheat replacing 0, 25, 50 or 100% corn with or without 1 g xylanase/kg diet (AVIZYME 1,300 ® , containing 2,500 units xylanase/g and 800 units protease/g, Finnfeeds International, Marborough, Wilts, UK) supplementation in iso-nitrogenous and iso-calorific experimental diets.Eight hundred day-old chicks of Arbor Acres commercial strain were selected by sex into 32 pens with equal numbers of male and female groups.Four pens, two male and two female, were allocated into each of the eight dietary treatments for a 6-week feeding trial on growing (0 to 3 weeks) and finishing (4 to 6 week) periods.The experimental diet is presented in Table 1.Chickens were permitted free access to feed and water at all times during the experimental period.The individual live-weight and group feed consumption were measured after fasting overnight at the end of the third and sixth week. Digestion trialSixty-four male broiler chickens were used for the growing period and thirty-two were used for the finishing period.All chickens were allocated into individual cages for eight dietary treatments with four replicates for each treatment.The excreta of growing chicks were combined Effects of Xylanase Supplementation to Wheat-based Diet on the Performance and Nutrient Availability of Broiler Chickens