Effect of feed particle size, enzyme supplementation and pelleting on growth and intestinal parameters of broilers

The effect of feed particle size, enzyme supplementation and pelleting on broiler performance, feed intake, feed conversion, excreta moisture, intestinal viscosity, intestinal weight and intestinal length were studied. The body weight gain in T₁ (control, 784 μ), T₂ (669 μ), T₃ (905 μ), T₄ (1142 μ) and T₅ (913 μ) on 42^nd day was 1825.40, 1932.30, 1964.70, 1894.07, 1887.83g, respectively. The body weight gain in diet having 905 μ particle size was significantly (P<0.05) higher than control (T₁). Enzyme supplementation in diets (T₆, T₇, T₈, and T₉) and pelleting in diets (T₁₀, T₁₁, T₁₂ and T₁₃) resulted in non significant improvement in body weight gain than their corresponding unsupplemented groups. During 0–42 day of age feed intake was not affected significantly by treatments. At 42 days of age FCR in treatments T₁, T₂, T₃, T₄ and T₅ was 2.22, 2.19, 2.16, 2.23 and 2.25, respectively being statistically similar among treatments. Enzyme supplementation and pelleting also had non-significant effect on FCR. Intestinal viscosity (cS) in T₁, T₂, T₃, T₄, T₅ was 1.22, 1.38, 1.38, 1.41, 1.38 which indicated a significant (P<0.05) increase in intestinal viscosity in T₂, T₃, T₄, T₅ than control (T₁). The values for enzyme supplemented diets T₆, T₇, T₈ and T₉ were 1.29, 1.31, 1.32 and 1.32 cS, respectively which were significantly (P<0.05) lower than non supplemented mash diets. Pelleting and particle size of diets had no effect on intestinal viscosity. Enzyme supplemented diets T₆, T₇, T₈ and T₉ had significant (P<0.05) decrease in percent excreta moisture. The relative length of intestine was significantly (P<0.05) higher in T₂ (669 μ GMD), T₃ (905 μ GMD), T₄ (1142 μ GMD), T₅ (913 μ GMD) than the control T₁ (784 μ GMD and 5% CF) and relative weight of intestine in T₂, T₃, T₄, T₅ was non-significantly higher than control (T₁). Intestinal weight was significantly (P<0.05) lowered due to enzyme supplementation. Pelleting of diets also resulted in lowered relative length and weight of intestine in treatments T₁₀, T₁₁, T₁₂, and T₁₃ than mash fed counterparts.