Effect of oat hulls as a free choice feeding on broiler performance,short chain fatty acids and microflora under a mild necrotic enteritis challenge

Structure of fibre has been reported to enhance performance,intestinal function and modify the composition and quantity of the microbial population in the chicken gastrointestinal tract.It is hypothesised that insoluble fibre in oat hulls may improve gut health and reduce intestinal Clostridium perfringens number.This research assessed the effect of free choice oat hulls(OH) on performance and gut microbiota in broilers during a mild(subclinical) necrotic enteritis(NE) challenge.A total of 240 dayold male Ross 308 broiler chickens were assigned to 24 cages in a 2×2 factorial arrangement of treatments.Factors were challenge - or +; and OH - or +.On d 16,challenged broilers had lower weight gain and feed intake(P < 0.05) compared with unchallenged broilers.Ond 16,broilers given OH had lower feed intake(P < 0.05) and tended to have lower(P=0.062) feed conversion ratio(FCR) compared with those without access to OH.Broiler performance,however,was not affected by OH nor by challenge on d 24 and 35.The broilers given OH had heavier gizzards(P < 0.05) compared with those without OH at d 35 but not at d 13 or 16.Increased numbers of C.perfringens(P < 0.001) and reduced numbers(P < 0.05)of Lactobacillus and Salmonellae were observed in the caecal contents of challenged broilers on d 16.Challenged broilers had a lower concentration of caecal acetic acid(P < 0.01) compared with unchallenged broilers at d 16.The broilers given OH had lower concentrations of caecal acetic acid(P < 0.05),propionic acid(P < 0.05),and valeric acid(P < 0.01) compared with those without access to OH.An OH by challenge interaction on succinic acid concentration was observed on d 16(P < 0.05).Oat hulls elevated the caecal succinic acid concentration only in the unchallenged broilers.This study indicated a positive role of OH through improved gizzard function and increased succinic acid in the gut but its role in controlling NE was not conclusive.

Effect of organic acids—essential oils blend and oat fiber combination on broiler chicken growth performance, blood parameters, and intestinal health

This study evaluated the effect of organic acids-essential oils blend with or without oat hulls(OH)on growth performance,organ weights,blood parameters,gut morphology,microbiota,and short-chain fatty acids(SC FA)in broilerchickens.Day-old broiler chickens were randomly allocated to 4 dieta ry treatments consisting of 1)a corn-soybean meal-wheat based diet(BAS),2)BAS+0.05%bacitracin methylene disalicylate(BMD),3)BAS+protected organic acids-essential oils at 300 g/1,000 kg of feed(OE),and 4)BAS+protected organic acids-essential oils at 300 g/1,000 kg of feed+3%OH(OEOH),in 8 replicate groups.Feeding was in starter(d0 to 14),grower(d 14 to 24),and finisher(d 24 to 36)phases.Body weight(BW),feed intake(FI),feed conversion ratio(FCR),and mortality were determined weekly.On d 36,8 chickens per treatment were sampled for blood biochemistry,organ weights,cecal SCFA production,and microbiota.Treatments had no effect on FI and FCR at all phases.Both OE and OEOH treatments reduced(P<0.001)the body weight gain of birds at the starter phase.Birds fed the OEOH treatment had higher(P<0.001)gizzard weight,while those offered the BMD diet showed a tendency(P=0.08)to have higher cecal weight.Birds in the OEOH treatment recorded increased ileal villus height and villus height-to-crypt depth ratio,as well as reduced duodenal crypt depth,while birds in the OE treatment had increased j ej unal villus height and villus height-to-crypt depth ratio.Both OEOH and OE treatments increased the number of goblet cells produced in the duodenum and jejunum.Treatments had no effecton SCFA concentrations.Birds in the OE treatment recorded the lowest concentration of blood urea(P=0.05)and cholesterol(P<0.05).Both OE and OEOH treatments increased(P<0.05)the relative abundance of potentially beneficial bacteria in the genus Firmicutesunclassified,Ruminococcus,Turicibacter,and Erysipelotrichaceaeunclassified,while reducing(P<0.001)the relative abundance of potentially harmful Coprobacillus.Conclusively,both protected organic acids-essential oils blend and its combination with oat fibers show potential as tools to achieve antibiotics reduction in broiler production.

Supplementing oat hulls to the diet of suckling piglets altered their intestinal tract and colonic microbiota development

Current study evaluated the effect of a fine and coarsely ground insoluble dietary fibre source on the gastrointestinal development of suckling pigs.Oat hulls(OH)were selected as a model feedstuff,rich in cellulose,lignin,and insoluble dietary fibre.Three experimental supplemental diets were formulated:a finely ground,low fibre and nutrient dense diet served as control(CON).For the 2 high fibre diets,15%heat-treated starch in CON was exchanged with OH,either finely(OH-f)or coarsely ground(OH-c).Litters of 10 primi-and multiparous sows(mean litter size 14.6±0.84)were used.Within a litter,experimental diets were allotted to triplets of 4 piglets.From approximately 12 d of age,piglets’individual feed intakes were recorded 2 times per day when separated from their dam for 70 min.Piglets could suckle with their dam for the remainder of the day.On d 24 and 25,from the total pool of 120 piglets,seven healthy well-eating piglets per treatment were selected for post-mortem evaluation,resulting in 14 replicates per treatment.Consumption of OH-c and OH-f did not impede clinical health and production performance of piglets.The full stomach weights tended to be greater for OH-c compared to OH-f whereas CON was intermediate(P=0.083).Supplementing OH significantly increased ileal villus height and caecal dry matter concentration(P<0.05).For the colon,OH increased its length,contents weight,short-chain fatty acid concentration and reduced total bacterial count as well asγ-proteobacteria count and proportion(P<0.05).The OH-c treatment specifically increased full gastrointestinal tract weight and caecum contents weight compared to piglets fed CON and OH-f.Furthermore,OH-c reduced colonic crypt depth when compared to OH-f(P=0.018).In conclusion,supplementing OH to a diet for suckling piglets exerted subtle developmental effects on gastrointestinal morphology and colonic microbial community.These effects were largely independent from the particle size of the OH.