Evaluation of corn meal on performance, carcass characteristics and nutrient digestibility of male broiler chickens

Abstract

To study the effect of corn meal (CM) on performance, carcass characteristics and nutrient digestibility of chickens in a completely randomized design experiment with 4 × 2 factorial arrangement and 4 replicates per treatment, 384 Ross male broiler chickens in a 49 days period were evaluated. Treatments were 0 (CM0), 15 (CM15), 30 (CM30), or 45 (CM45) CM to replace corn and 2 levels of commercial NSP-degrading enzyme (0 and 0.025%). Corn meal had no effect (P > 0.05) on body weight gain, feed intake and carcass characteristics during the whole brooding period. Dietary corn meal level (CM45) had significant effect on digestibility of fat, apparent metabolizable energy (AME) and apparent metabolizable energy corrected for nitrogen (AME_n). However, enzyme supplementation significantly increased phosphorous digestibility (P < 0.05). Interaction between corn meal level and enzyme supplementation had significant effect on excreta dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP), AME and AME_n during 0 to 49 days of age. Together, the results suggested that replacement of corn by corn meal may affect the digestibility of OM, CP, AME, AME_n, and enzyme supplementation has some beneficial effects on theses traits.

Keywords: Corn meal, enzyme, broiler chickens, performance, carcass characteristics, nutrient digestibility