Effects of supplemental phytase on performance and tibia ash of broilers fed different cereals based diets

A 21-day experiment with day-old broilers was conducted in order to assess the effect of phytase supplementation to different cereals-soybean meal based diets on broiler performance and tibia ash. Diets were formulated to contain 4 different cereals (maize, wheat, triticale and barley), 2 levels of dietary calcium (0.6 and 1.0%) and 3 levels of supplemental phytase (0, 500 and 1 000 PU/kg). Supplemented phytase had beneficial effects on broiler performance. It significantly increased body weight gain (P < 0.0003) and feed consumption (P < 0.0361) by 6 and 7% in comparison with the control groups, respectively. No influence on feed conversion ratio and tibia ash was detected. Both body weight gain and feed intake were also significantly influenced by different cereals (P < 0.0001 and 0.0348, respectively). The increasing dietary calcium level resulted in a significant increase in body weight gain (P < 0.0024) and tibia ash (P < 0.0016). Effects of 500 and 1 000 PU/kg were not statistically different between themselves.